Stained with Ink
by EmmaRiddleDaughteroftheDark
Summary: We all know what happened to Harry during his second year, but what happened to Ginny? We were all to hung up on the boywholived to notice. So does anybody know? Did anybody listen? Does anyone care? On Hold.
1. Dear Tom

**Stained with Ink**

* * *

Snake carvings were everywhere. In the middle of the chamber was a huge statue of Salazar Slytherin, complete with Tom in front of it. Ginny took small steps towards him, looking around. He just stood very still, his eyes fixed on her, waiting. 

"Tom? What's going on? Where are we?" she asked fiercely when she reached him. Tom moved towards her.

"Oh this?" he asked simply, gesturing around. At her nod, he continued. "Well, this is my world." He took another step near to her. " I'm sure we can find something to do little Gin." Ginny then realized what he planned to do with her.

She started screaming but was silenced by Tom covering her mouth with his and practically forcing his tongue down her throat. Ginny tried to back away, but ended up with her back against the wall and his arms blocking her escape. Tom merely smirked and chuckled at her antics.

"See, Gin," Tom started to say as he stood against her with his lips right next to her ear. "I don't want to kill you. Au Contraire. I want you very much alive. I need you princess. Why do you think it was you who got the diary? That wasn't an accident and you know I don't go befriending all the Gryffindors and elves and happy little unicorns. I'm not all peaches and cream." Ginny shuddered when he moved even closer, placing his finger on her chin, turning her so they were eye to eye. "And you know that well. You do have a future with me princess, and a definite one at that. Whether you want to or not. So princess, why don't you help me now." He brushed his fingers through the lock of hair dangling by her mouth. "Guess what princess… you're mine." Ginny shuddered again and tried to push away his hand. He laughed, grabbed her shoulders, and ensnared her in a dangerous kiss- the kind of kiss parents warn their daughters against. When he let her go, she burst free of his grasp and ran forward blindly.

Hot tears burnt a path down her cheeks as she stumbled forward. Tom just stood leaning against the wall staring at his hand like he had snatched at something just beyond his reach. When she looked back at him, she paused. She wasn't being chased. Tom then jerked to attention and noticed her, not a hundred feet away, barely even fifty, just watching him. His eyes widened and his hands shook a bit in anger and he started to walk towards her taking painfully long, slow strides, Ginny backed up when he began advancing but took one too many steps without noticing where she was headed.

With a splash and a thud, Ginny landed two feet down with only her knees, top of her uniform skirt, and her face out of the water. Tom casually peered over the side of the walkway and cocked his head sideways to gaze at her. Sighing, he flicked her wand and held up the long brown trench coat he summoned from the bedroom. Ginny whimpered a little as he picked her up and wrapped her in it.

Her uniform was soaked so she tightened the coat around her. Tom laid her down in front of the statue like a primitive sacrifice to a god and straddled her waist. There was no way to get away from him now. "Gin, I really don't want to do this. But you just can't cheat fate or escape destiny," he said, diverting his eyes to the base of the statue. Ginny then grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at her. An eleven-year-old girl was no match for a sixteen-year-old boy. Tom may be a memory but he had absorbed enough of her magic that he was almost completely human again. He was almost free of the diary. Normally he would have just overpowered her and walked away, but something was troubling him. He allowed himself to be forced to do something.

"W…what do you have to do?" she asked the question fearfully, stuttering slightly. He looked down at this innocent girl on the floor. What was he doing? He stroked her face for a second and was about to get off of her, smiling for a split second. Thenhis hands tightened and his face was set into a frown. No. He had to do it. He had to. Had to.Facing her again, he took both of her hands and pinned them together above her head.

"Tom...please…don't." He just stared at her with his cold dark eyes.

Tom reached back with one hand, keeping the other hand firmly onto her own, and started to hike up her long, damp uniform skirt. Her eyes went as wide as apples and she started to struggle, but Tom's hand remained firm. "Tom, please! Stop. Let go of me! Stop it! Please." Tom rolled his eyes at her plea andslipped his hand from her skirt to the back of her neck.Eyes closed, Ginny heard a click and when she opened them, she saw what Tom had done. He had unclasped her gold necklace, a gift from her father at her fifth brthday party. "Not my necklace... please. Not my necklace..."

Tom ignored her and wound the chain so it bound her two hands together. Whenever she struggled, it bit down into her skin. He sharply inhaled and used the same hand he had used to hike up her skirt and bind her to part his nearly solid Slytherin robe. Ginny sniveled, trying to keep the tears off her face while she began to kick and shove.

Merrily snickering that she was still trying to fight, Tom thought, **_You go right on ahead and fight it my princess. Sooner or later, you'll give in. Oh yes you'll give in._** "Tom..." Ginny arched her back so her face was closer to his. He seemed to notice this. " Tom, I am begging you to stop." She seemed very distraught when she voiced this last thought so she whispered her continuation. "You have made me resort to begging, Tom. You know how much you dislike your princess begging, and I know it too. Look what you've done to me. Look what you're doing." Tom froze at her words. They were the truth. Begging and pleading was far under his princess. She was above all of it.

**_No!_** A thought deep in Tom's mind yelled. **_Stop it! She knew what she was getting into from the very start. Don't let her persuade you! Punish her! Punish her!_** Tom nodded and smirked at Ginny. Ginny saw she wasn't going to win this and whimpered, letting a single tear fall down her cheek. Tom gazed at her, as she looked away, her eyes sequenced up so to soften the pain she was sure she'd feel. Then she felt the mind blowing pain and shrieked out loud in agony. Tears openly fell onto the floor and he continued.

"Tom…stop! You're…you're hurting me Tom! Ow! Stop it please! Please!"

* * *

"Tom…stop! You're…you're hurting me Tom! Ow! Stop it please! Please!" Ginny thrashed about her bed. Her roommates were huddled together on the bed next to hers watching in horror. They had no idea what to do. None of them had ever been through something like this. Molly was being even less help than she would if she wasn't there. She was gasping and fighting off her own demons as she watched her friend. One of the eldest of the group, Blaine, left the rest of them, hesitantly and walked to Ginny's side. 

"Ginny…" she whispered quite calmly prodding her in the side. Then more urgent, "Ginny." Then she ended up almost begging. "Ginny, please wake up!" But she didn't wake and they all had to watch her suffer and scream about. Wendi was silently crying, burrowing her head into Vanessa's arms. She murmured:

"God, please let her wake up. Wake her up. Oh God, oh God, oh God." Blaine shifted her eyes from side to side trying to find something, anything that would wake her up. The trunk… She rampaged through her trunk for something that would make a lot of noise. All of a sudden she spotted a truly hideoustorous pink vase with yellow lettering saying: You are your Father's special girl, that her stepfather had given her last Christmas.

Why she brought it to Hogwarts, she would never know. With a smirk, she called Molly, Wendi, and Vanessa over and together they were able to heave it up to where it crashed inches above Ginny's head.

Ginny jerked up with the covers, drenched with sweat, covering her from her nose down. Her hands were still together as they were when they were bound and she slowly brought them to her lap. Seeing her roommates stare at her so, she bit her lip and moved her gaze down to her hands. Vanessa and Molly exchanged glances as she let out a small screech. Her wrists were rubbed raw in the exact places where the rope had bound her but the her necklace was back in its proper place around her neck.

No one wanted to break the silence. All that could be heard was the rather deep and intense breathing of Ginny. The minute of complete quiet lasted like hours with everyone staring into Ginny's hurt eyes. Then she just covered her head with her arms and began to cry. "Oh, Ginny," Nessa whispered, putting her arm around her shoulders. "Ginny, shh, it's okay."

Wendi got up and knelt in front of Ginny, taking her hand and speaking in a low whisper said, "You were in pain. You were screaming bloody murder and crying. What happened?" All the room quieted to hear her answer. What had happened? Her lip quivered as she though of what to tell them. Blaine didn't even wait for her answer.

"Who's Tom?" Ginny froze. The words echoed around in her brain. How did they know? The diary? Maybe they found it. Maybe they figured how to work it. Maybe he told them everything. No! He said he would never tell her secrets. "Ginny? Who is Tom?" She gulped and spoke the first words since she had awoken.

"What do you mean? Tom? I don't know how he got into this conversation." Blaine scoffed and looked in the bewilderment at the other girls. She had to know what was going on. Nessa clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth like she did when she was thinking. She always had an answer. Whether it was right or not was a different story.

"Well, it's rather easy for someone to enter a conversation when the person you're talking to was screaming and begging the person in question to stop." Ginny visibly paled three shades lighter. She worried that soon she'd become so fair she'd disappear.

She had begged in her dream, but out loud? Begging? Pleading? Groveling? What had happened? "B-b-begging? What do you mean begging?" she asked in astonishment. Then half to herself, half to the others, she murmured, "What did I say?" Vanessa clicked her tongue again and nudged Wendi. They both turned away and conversed quietly, as if comparing notes. After about a minute, they both turned back to Ginny. Wendi was fiddling with a thread on the side of her nightgown, but Nessa told her to start and get it over with. Unwillingly, she started.

"Tom…please…don't."

"Tom, please! Stop. Let go of me! Stop it! Please."

"Tom. Tom, I am begging you to stop!"

"Tom…stop! You're…you're hurting me Tom! Ow! Stop it please! Please!" Wendi paused, seeming to remember something else but not being able to recall it. "You whispered something else that we couldn't hear."

Vanessa looked at her shoes as they finished, almost ashamed at seeing the look on her face. Ginny was gaping, mouth open and all, at them. All the girls had a fair idea, but they all wished to know for sure what Tom had done to her. Molly had been silent all night, and had only participated in throwing the vase to wake Ginny up. She looked around and pieced together what they were wondering, sobbing at the thought. Ginny, hearing the muffled sound, looked over at Molly, and was surprised to feel a seer's vibe come from her.

"He was trying or maybe did do "grown-up-things" with her, like the boy did to me." She said at last in her light Irish accent, able to get the information from the eye contact Ginny had unknowingly given her. All heads turned to the otherwise unnoticed little girl sitting with her legs folded on her bed. Molly was a small eleven-year-old with azure eyes, but they were dulled like those of an old soldier's. There was no innocence left in them anymore. A child with her soul colored as her innocence was stolen away and melted like the sun on snow, where you can still see white frost, but mainly you see the grass. This was how Molly was.

Ginny pushed off Nessa's arm and walked over to Molly's bed. She put her own arm over the small girl and gave her the grin that had convinced all her brothers she was fine. "Well, is it true?" Ginny could feel a prodding in her mind and saw the purple lights come from Molly's eyes. Ginny didn't like this idea of people looking into her thoughts, seeing everything that she kept secret. _Get out of there, Molly._ She shook her head and Molly smiled widely in relief. As she did this, two tears that were on the verge of falling for some time dripped down. "That's good. We should talk to Professor McGonagall though, if the dreams ever come again. They could be premonitions." Ginny fumed at her accusation. Molly was saying Tom would do what he did to her! She had been only trying to help, but Ginny couldn't believe she'd actually say that!

"What do you mean?" she laughed somewhat nervously, eagerly picking up insults to throw back in Molly's face. "And just who do you think you are, Miss O'Roark! Tom would never do anything near that bad to me in real life. NEVER! And who are you to talk? From what I've heard, you've done some of those "grown-up-things" that make you not so innocent. What's the matter, Molly? Tired of being a kid? Wanted to grow up just a bit faster?" Ginny baby cooed to Molly. Molly's eyes widened and her breath began to come in short, sharp gasps. That's when Ginny realized what she had done. "Oh, God, Molly, I am so sorry. I didn't mean it, I really didn't. But you were just going on about Tom and I got so angry. You should have learned to pick your timing better! Its just now is not the time to accuse him. Please forgive me Molly. I am so-" Molly jumped up and raced through her roommates to the toilet where she was sick to her stomach. Ginny was ashamed as she whispered, "Sorry."

Blaine and Wendi looked at Molly, their faces full of astonishment. Molly had had "attacks" of some sort for as long as they had known her. They came from the memories and the feelings afterward of what the boy did to her. The two of them then looked at each other and finally at Ginny. Ginny avoided their gaze. She could feel the disappointment exenterating from their gaze. They had no warm feeling towards her and hoped she realized how low she had stooped to make Molly have an attack. Just by their looks and feelings, the room dropped twelve degrees. That's the wonders of magic. Ginny shuffled her feet and bravely looked up to match their stare. They just watched each other before Wendi looked away, Blaine following suite.

"What's going on here?" Professor McGonagall demanded as she stood in the doorway of their dorm. She was wearing an ankle-length white flannel nightgown with only one pocket, right on her chest. The neckline of the nightgown was like a turtleneck. Her hair was, for the first time any of the girls had seen it, hanging messily down to the square of her back. She had been awakened, by screaming and yelling and then to top that off, running. She had come to quiet the troublemakers, maybe give them a month's detention for disturbing the peace, but was shocked to find that the noise was coming from the first year Gryffindors. She was expecting at least the Fourth-Years, having yet another party just to symbolize their extension on curfew for being in the older half of school. She noticed Blaine, Wendi, and Vanessa staring wide-eyed at something behind her back. She slowly turned and saw Ginny looking sideways regretfully into the bathroom. Turning yet again, feeling slightly dizzy, she spotted Molly sick in the bathroom.

She quickly rushed to the bathroom, taking a bluish-purplish bottle filled with liquid from the pocket on her chest. She apparently thought the scream that had awoken her was Molly's. "Molly, darling, it's me, Professor McGonagall. Did you have the Dream again? Are you all right? Would you like something? Your…" she looked around and Wendi hurriedly handed her Molly's stuffed walrus. "Your walrus? Or do you want me to take you to the nurse? Maybe you want your potion. I have it right here with me, dear. Do you want it?" McGonagall kept listing things to make Molly feel better, not noticing or paying attention to Molly's persistent trying to interrupt her. She swallowed and leant back against the wall. McGonagall stopped then to ask her a question: "Well, what do you want?" Molly sighed and put her hand over McGonagall's mouth. Finally she was able to speak.

"Not…me," she stated clearly, still at a slight lack of breath. "It wasn't me, Professor." McGonagall took a step back in shock. She was certain it had been Molly. Molly was the only one who would have these sorts of dreams, and why would anyone else scream. Her parents had had a long meeting with her, as Molly's head of house, before term started. She knew to expect these dreams some nights, but now she claimed it wasn't her? Confused, McGonagall looked to all the girls in the room and then back to Molly. "It was Ginny. We had a fight afterward, but you shouldn't punish her. Even I lose my temper after the Dream. But it was Ginny." Molly pulled McGonagall down and whispered to her. "You should try to figure out what happened. We were so scared. Ginny is one of my best friends. I don't want her to have to go through what I do. Help her, please Professor." A spot on the ceiling currently fascinated Ginny. Then louder Molly spoke to McGonagall. "She had horrible dreams about a boy named Tom." Ginny's eyes began to water as she heard his name but refused to cry.

McGonagall took a few steps out of the bathroom to Ginny. Wendi, Vanessa, and Blaine all took steps back and sat on Molly's bed, watching with interest what was going to happen. With the clear path to her, McGonagall stood prim and proper and looked at Ginny reproachfully. "Miss Weasley," she said like a teacher catching a student in their class passing notes. It was a tone of voice that told them to meet after class in her office. She took a few more steps nearer to her. "Miss Weasley…" she said impatiently, drumming her fingers on her arm while she waited. Ginny caught the hint and stood to follow her out the door her eyes fearfully jotting to her roommates watching on the bed.

McGonagall walked just outside the door and a few paces to the right when Ginny followed her and when she came out, she barely had a warning before the door shut tightly, leaving her alone in the tower halls with McGonagall. "Miss Weasley, may I ask a question?" Ginny stared down at her feet blocking out all the noise so she could heard that annoying ringing sound in her ear. McGonagall's lips grew tighter and she repeated. "Miss Weasley. May I ask a question?" Ginny looked up rapidly. She was fairly annoyed, having no thought that a small dream was worth all this extra trouble. She needed caffeine or sleep. Either one worked.

"I believe you just did." McGonagall frowned. Ginny was being difficult, McGonagall thought to herself. Someone needed to knock into her some manners or some respect. Ginny just smiled and blinked innocently. Bah! Innocent like a devil child was with that smirk.

"Who is Tom, Miss Weasley?" Ginny again did not answer, her pupils changing so she could focus on the sight of her fingers shaking. "Miss Weasley, answer me!" She took some deep breaths to buy her time as she collected her thoughts and leaned against the wall. McGonagall obviously thought she was not going to answer at all. "Miss Weasley! Now, I know you can hear me. So answer me this: Who the bloody blazes is Tom?" Ginny's eyes crinkled in amusement. _More like, Riddle me this!_ Ginny cracked up at her own joke and McGonagall angered and crossed her arms, showing her restraint for hitting the child in front of her.

"I don't have to answer you," Ginny said, noting the professor's change in posture.  
"You can't and don't control what I tell you until class. You have no say in what I think. And even if you ask me about Tom in class, your questions are limited." McGonagall silenced her by grabbing her wrist and yanking it so they were brought closer to each other. Ginny pulled away her stinging wrist and looked at the floor. She didn't know what she would be able to tell from looking in her eyes. "Isn't that true, Professor?"

"Miss Weasley! Do not disrespect me and think you can get away with it. Answer me. Who is Tom? Why do you have dreams about him that make you scream? I'm doing this for your well-being, Miss Weasley. I'm not trying to be cruel, or to punish you. So please, just answer me." Ginny thought about the diary. If she told the truth, it would be taken away for sure. And what was truth? Nothing but what someone thinks is true. Ginny obviously couldn't tell her that a Slytherin sixth year that she had never seen in the halls or met was talking to her from within a diary and she had dreams about him- was it raping? - her in a dark stone chamber filled with carvings of snakes and a huge statue of Salazar Slytherin. No, that made him sound evil. But she couldn't just make up a whole bunch of lies. So, she would have to bend the truth a little bit.

"Tom's my friend. I met him at the ice cream shop in Diagon Alley. He wouldn't hurt me. He would never hurt me. He needs me." McGonagall scoffed at her being so naïve. But Ginny couldn't help it. She was naïve, having never lied, or stolen, or cursed. She didn't even understand half the things her brothers joked about when Mum was out of earshot. She was just a child. A child barely drawn from her mother's apron strings having no idea what the outside world would have in store…

"Virginia," came the exasperated sigh. Ginny knew she was in something serious at the use of her first full name. "Virginia, this is a serious matter. I need to know." Ginny looked up fearfully at her with wide eyes. Bambi eyes. Innocent eyes. "I know you say he wouldn't, but did he? Did this "Tom" ever hurt you in any way? Any way?" Ginny seriously doubted he did, but to be sure, she racked her memory. No. No memory, no recollection, or record or even the slightest glimpse of any kind of hurt cause by Tom. He was so sweet to her always and he listened. He actually listened to what she had to say. No one ever had done that to her before. Tom made her feel special. This dream, that dream that made her want to slit her wrists in the bathroom so she wouldn't fall asleep ever again and have to live through it over and over, was a new kind of dream; A one-of-a-kind dream. Tom would never do that to her. She hadn't even actually seen him and already they knew each other's innermost secrets. Well, Tom knew more of hers than she did of his, but it was still frightening.

"He never touched me," Ginny stated, wiping her eyes. How true that was. McGonagall looked very certain she was telling the truth; it was the same look she gave to Ron every time he claimed Scabbers ate his homework.

They stood in silence for a minute each one thinking the other would soon talk. "Well," McGonagall started, making Ginny jump slightly. After all the raging silence she had heard tonight, it was hard still to hear talking. "If this is all we have to say, I think I should go bring Molly down to the nurse. Albus would never forgive me if I didn't. Now, I think it's time for you to go to sleep. It's been a rough night for you, I'm sure." She went inside the room, had quiet conversations with the other girls, no doubt telling them how to act around her, and came out with Molly wrapped up in her arms. Molly looked over her shoulder and locked eyes with Ginny. While McGonagall still walked forward, they both stayed still until Ginny broke off eye contact, staring ashamed at the floor.

Long after they left, Ginny was still in the hallway. She didn't feel ready to face her roommates. She would wait until they all fell asleep, then she would go in. Suddenly, she felt a throbbing sensation begin in her temple. She groaned and tried to massage it out, but it seemed to only get worse. The sensation was most bizarre, so odd, that Ginny stopped to listen- to try and understand it. The sensation was beginning to sound rather like a hiss.

"Ginny!" Ginny turned her head to see who it was. Blaine. She poked her head out the door and looked most bizarrely at Ginny, "C'mon, let's not wait forever. We happen to have tests in the morning. Now, go to sleep and please," she broke off, unsure if she wanted to bring it up again. "Please… tread carefully about your dreams. Molly could be right. They could be messages. Don't ignore them. Don't dream." Ginny trudged slowly into the room behind her, feeling her roommate's eyes on her. She reached her bed and fell with a plop. Now all she had to do was wait for them to fall asleep. _Now I lay me down to sleep._

Tiptoes that were meant to be silent, shuffled across the bare floor. Nessa peeked through Ginny's curtains before climbing onto her bed. "Hey Ginny. I just wanted to make sure you were okay…after all that happened." Vanessa rocked nervously on her legs as she sat. It made her look very small, even for an eleven-year-old. Her toffee colored hair hung in loose waves down to her waist and her nightgown was pinkish after being washed so many times with her red jumper. Nessa was the typical, good little girl who you imagine first years at a boarding school being like. Ginny smiled partly, glad someone sounded concerned about her, the runt in a litter of boys. She opened her mouth to speak but ended up crunched over, a cough consuming her. Nessa nervously patted her back until she stopped and was able to sit up straight again.

"I'm fine, Nessa." Nessa raised one eyebrow at her causing Ginny to sigh. "I know it doesn't look, or sound like it, but really, I am. Why don't you go on to sleep now? Go on. Blaine was right, you do have tests early on tomorrow, and I wouldn't want you to fail because I kept you up." Nessa still looked unconvinced so she just sat there and kept rubbing Ginny's back. "Nessa, I'm fine. It's okay now. Everything's all right. Now go to sleep. Please." Finally, she seemed to agree that everything was all right. She jumped off the bed and started to amble over to her own. Ginny breathed a sigh a relief when she heard the soft creaks of the bedsprings and waited until she was sure she heard Nessa's curtains close.

She reached down and searched under her bed, having to stumble about for she was without light to see where anything was. Once she felt her book bag's course material, she grabbed at the potion that was lying at the very top of all her supplies, waiting just for her. The potion was bluish-purplish liquid that set off a glow, making the entire bottle the same color. It was the same potion McGonagall had, having been taken directly from her hand while she had been busy with Molly. It was Dreamless Sleep. Ginny downed the entire bottle, hoping she had taken enough to put her to sleep as there was only a small bit left. There was enough left for one serving. It was just like the fates had decided to give her this bottle. Bless them.

As the symptoms of the potion reached her bloodstream, Ginny felt immediately exhausted. It had been a long night and she was glad to be able to sleep again now, but also she felt an immense fear. What if the potion didn't work? What if as soon as she fell into a sleep deep enough for dreams, deep enough for the subconscious to take control, she saw that hideous place filled with snakes and Tom? She couldn't bear it. This Tom was different than hers. Her Tom wouldn't do something like that, or even talk to her about something like that. This Tom was scary, was new, like he was possessed. Ginny shook the thought from her resting head. Suddenly, she remembered something. Tom had warned her weeks ago before she had even boarded the train to school that if she ever dreamt about him, she was to tell him. She hadn't understood why, but promised to anyway. Where was the diary though?

She pulled off her covers and the sheets from her pillow, seeking her diary before she looked down and saw it in her lap. She most definitely had not put it there. After she had spoken with him last night before she had gone to bed, she had put it where she always did, underneath her pillow where if she was upset, he was only a millisecond away. With a shake of her head, Ginny tried to forget about all these things when the potion could take full effect any minute. That was the problem with Dreamless Sleep. You never knew when it would take effect. Her hands held her quill steady a centimeter above the page before choosing her words. With a slight smile, she leant down and etched the words hurriedly in messy handwriting.

* * *

_Dear Tom,_

_

* * *

_

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. And her roommate's names are borrowed from people I know. All I own is the placement of words and the plot- well, kind of.

Author's notes: This is in revision. One of the roommates was written out and replaced by Molly. I haven't gotten to any chapters besides this one to re-write it. So, if you see anyone talking about Snape's daughter (don't ask) or an American girl named Tirza, pretend it's Molly. That's why this is a work-in-progress and not a finished story, right?


	2. The Reason God Invented Therapists

**Stained with Ink**

* * *

Ginny shivered as she sat in the bath. The water was cold, but it was so welcoming, biting on her skin and numbing the pain. Even though she had told Tom everything was all right, that she knew it was just a dream, and even though she had assured Vanessa she was fine, they both doubted her and her façade was starting to wear thin. It was unlikely she would be able to convince the next person who cornered her.

It was dawn when the Dreamless Sleep potion wore off. All of Ginny's roommates were peacefully asleep, their dreams not invaded by cold nothingness and snakes. Looking down at her sweat-covered sheets from the night before, Ginny threw them off. They were so… dirty. And not just the sheets, her robes also found themselves flung onto her bed as she felt bile rising to her throat; she needed to be clean. Eventually, as soon as her shaky legs were able to hold her weight, she was standing, looking at the mangled sheets that covered her bed, wearing nothing; only her hands covered herself pitifully from any wandering eyes. The sun had just begun to rise, and in the first few early pink rays, Ginny saw marks. They covered her body in stretched heaps. Big black fingerprints and hand-sized shapes were randomly placed around her. Trying to scratch them off led nowhere, as it appeared they were a part of her skin now. A tear slipped down her cheek, making her think of scrubbing off the marks with water.

And that was how she ended up sitting in the frigid waters of the first-year girls' bath. The water was tinted red from when she had scrubbed so hard at her skin that it tore. And still, no matter if there was skin or not, the marks remained, as black and unforgiving as ever. She was grimy now; thoughts of his hands touching her in places she kept private even to herself kept plastering themselves to her mind. In her wavering reflection on the water, Ginny saw herself, pale and eyes red from crying, though that might have just been from the red in the water. The marks weren't there. But she could see them! Ginny splashed the water with her hand, sighing in relief as that false reflection gave way.

Taking the white robe that posed for a towel hanging above the bath taps, Ginny stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself up, flinching slightly at how coarse the towel felt against her delicate skin. Darting past the mirror to avoid seeing how bad the marks truly were, she could hear bedsprings squeaking as one or more of her roommates got up. When she looked back at the bathtub, her reflection stared at her; eyes full of pity, until a hand– her hand, reached out and pulled the plug. In a moment of indifference, all the blood-tinted water was gone, and Ginny stood up from the bath's side and opened the door to face her roommates, her eyes showing nothing.

* * *

"She won't want to see me. I made her have an attack! Don't make her see me. If you were her, would you want to see me?" Ginny pleaded on and on with the two girls as she dug her heels into the wooly carpet. Blaine leant down and picked up her feet as Wendi carried her upper torso. They were still in the common room, only a stairwell away from their dorm. Blaine threw her an exasperated look. 

"Y'know, most people, even if they are being taken against their will, at least get out of the common room before they need to be carried." Ginny used her teeth to undo the neat black ribbons that Wendi had put on her braids this morning and shook out her hair to distract them. Wendi sighed as they stood in front of the portrait.

"Wattlebird. Quiet you," she sternly told Blaine who was still mumbling random phrases directed at Ginny. "It's not her fault she's nervous. Ginny!" As soon as they stepped out of the portrait hole, she had been trying to throw herself back into it. "Don't be so dramatic. It's not a death sentence, you know." She grabbed her hands and looked her straight in the eye. "Listen to me, Virginia. Don't worry so much. Molly will understand. You're not the only one who has lost her temper after those Dreams. She's done it before, and she'll do it again. She's probably forgotten and forgiven already. ARGHHHH!" Peeves flew overhead, dropping a massive vase onto Blaine. She was trapped inside. Wendi rushed away from Ginny to help her out, pushing up hard on the vase.

Ginny took a step back to see better. "Well, you deserved it." She spoke as she watched. Wait a minute, a step back? They weren't holding her anymore. A smirk drew itself onto her face. Wendi grunted and brought Ginny's attention back to Blaine.

"Ginny! A-a little help here. Please." Ginny stepped back. "Ginny…" Another step. "Ginny, don't you dare run away." Another step. "Ginny!" She turned around and started to run. As she looked behind her to see Wendi cursing her very existence, she ran into something very solid. She had run straight into Nessa.

"Nice try Ginny. C'mon. First, you're going to help Blaine out of that vase." Here she covered her mouth to suppress a giggle. "Then all three of us will take you to the Great Hall together." Unfortunately, Nessa was much stronger than the other two; the cause of this is most likely her height. So the counting factors were, Nessa: stronger, Nessa: not a pushover, plus the fact that Blaine and Wendi just really felt like making her suffer by forcing her into the Great Hall. Ginny whimpered as she was pulled forward to help Blaine, who of course never thanked her.

* * *

Nessa, Blaine, and Wendi walked into the Great Hall, dragging the still resisting Ginny. They looked like perfectly normal first years, so it came as a shock to most of the Great Hall's inhabitants when they saw them lugging Ginny along. Ginny's fiery hair was in disarray due to all the times she had tried to use her hair to distract them after she had pulled out her braids. Her uniform was rumpled and pulled up in places and pulled down in others. When she staggered in, she fell face forward onto the floor. Everyone became silent. Deathly silent. A pair of eyes was boring into her as all other eyes looked away. As she looked up, brown eyes met gray. Draco. 

Suddenly, her view was blocked by red hair and black robes. _Fan-bloody-tastic_ The Weasleys had arrived. All at once, she felt dizzy and disoriented. Sounds around her were muffled and hidden; all the objects and people nearby seemed to be composed only of abstract shapes. The feeling passed as quickly as it had appeared, but when her brothers touched or spoke, they still had a twinge of the way she had felt.

A hand roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. Ginny shoved the hand off of her when she realized it was Percy's. All the Weasleys surrounded her and led her to the seats at the Gryffindor table as far away from the teachers as possible and nearest the door. _This doesn't look pleasant. _Blaine, Wendi, and Nessa sat beside Molly, still in shock at seeing their normal, withdrawn roommate acting out like that.

"What the hell did you do to Josh's sister?" Percy demanded as the twins pushed her down onto the seat. They looked at their older, perfect, Prefect brother reproachfully for cursing to their little sister, but he was too busy eyeing Josh who was watching them rather interestedly from the other side of the Gryffindor table. They knew that something was wrong with Molly and they wanted to know what it was, but there was no need for language. Ginny may be responsible, but she was an innocent thing, and they didn't need to mess that up.

"What did you do? Ginny, we just want to know. We're not trying to pick on you or anything like that, but Molly is our friend as well as yours. What'd you do?" the twins asked as the gazed down the table at Molly who was picking at her food.

Harry and Ron, who had only so far assisted in bringing her to the table, sat next to her, Ron's face burning with anger. He seized her arm and spun her to face him. She turned her head from him, wincing at the sudden touch. "What. Did. You. Do?" Ron demanded, his face continuing to turn an ugly shade of purple as he breathed down her neck. His breath stunk. She shied away from him, trying to hold her breath. And then, as he continued to ramble, she couldn't help but think of a broken record; those old Muggle things that her father always talked about in _great_ length. 'What'd you do? What'd you do? What'd you do? What'd you do?' To her surprise, Ginny's eyes filled up with angry tears. She hadn't done anything! Why were they all going against their vow to protect their only baby sister?

"I don't need this," she whispered with her head down low to cover the tears. Ron stopped.

"What?" He asked, not sure if he had heard a breath of air or she was acting like a five-year-old. She met his eye.

"I don't have to stand for this anymore. I am sick and tired of this Ronald Weasly!" She broke off for a second when she saw the hall door swing closed and she caught a glimpse of a green-himmed robe. "Anyway, I don't have to listen to your namby-pamby, wishy-washy nonsense anymore. I have friends." She stopped then to skim the Slytherin table for Draco. He wasn't there anymore. "Well, maybe not." Then she thought of Tom. Sweet Tom who had calmed her in her hour of need and who maybe even loved her. _Stop it Ginny. Why would anyone ever fall in love with you?_ "But, maybe so. A boy. And he might even love me, and if he does, I think I love him even more." Ron looked around the table at his brothers, all who shrugged and continued to listen to Ginny's argument.

Harry then joined the conversation at last. "Would this boy you love and who might, maybe so, in a far off universe loves you back, have anything to do with the boy you dreamt about?" He didn't even look at her when he spoke. He just took her hand and played with her fingers. At first, her stomach soared at his touch, but then she was brought back to reality. Mentally slapping herself for nearly letting him realize her feelings, her eyes darkened and she pulled her hand away.

"What boy?" Harry took her fingers again, warming them with his own. She felt an intense urge to just lean over and crush her lips onto his to see what they tasted like. To take her first kiss before someone took it from her. Her mouth parted slightly, hesitating as she remembered how Tom's lips invaded hers, pushing her against the wall. His lips had tasted of blood, but that was probably from her own tongue. Harry would be gentle. He'd tell her of his love for her and… no- that only happened in fairytales. She was a hair's breadth away; if Harry didn't know what she planned to do by now, she had to start hanging out with smarter people. He wasn't stopping her. Just as she closed her eyes, he cleared his throat and dropped her hand.

"The boy you had a dream about. The one who…." He stopped as if picking the right words. He had heard rumors from those who had siblings in her dorm, but like hell he was going to trust them with the right information. "The one who made you scream." Ginny examined him up and down. Did he know? Did he know what she had dreamt about? She couldn't bear him knowing!

"I don't know what you are talking about," she said, her eyes fixed on a high corner of the Slytherin wall. Harry gave a small chuckle and used a finger underneath her chin to lift her head and look into his eyes. She quivered as he, like Tom, put his mouth up to her ear so no one else could hear them.

"We could hear you from the 2nd Year boys' dormitory, princess. I don't think there's a single Gryffindor here who doesn't know what I'm talking about." When he finished, Ginny could have sworn he smelt her hair before moving back onto his seat. Did he really just call her princess? Why all of a sudden did he seem so much like Tom? He was acting like him. Just like Tom.

Ginny covered her ears and whimpered, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. All they were doing was telling her how much they hated her, just like Tom had told her they would. Harry would never love her. Her brothers would never care. Fear gripped its iron hand onto her stomach. She wouldn't tell them anything about Tom.

She began to gasp, covering her mouth to stifle it. Percy tried to calm her down, but she pushed him away, causing a curly-headed prefect from Ravenclaw to make her way over. Her brothers' hands grabbed at her own, but she watched them with petrifying fright and she bolted out of the exit.

* * *

Ginny scampered as fast as she could, which was quite fast seeing how she had grown up having to keep up with her older brothers, not looking or even caring where she was going. As she neared the dungeons' steep and stony stairs, Charlie's old hand-me-down robes got caught on the sole of her shoe. She attempt to keep her balance as she strived to pull it out, but ended up tipping over anyway. Trying to grab at the handrail for support, she missed and spiraled down the stairs as her footing slipped. 

Ginny groaned and pushed herself up, looking to the top of the stairs where she had started and was now at the bottom of. As she raised herself up on the handrail, she gasped in pain. Her leg was on fire! Well, not really, but that's how it felt. Was it broken? Ginny was no medi-witch but she could tell that it was a serious possibility. She did know though, that if she tried to stand on it again, she would wind up a heap on the floor. Hoping that she was wrong, Ginny braced herself and took a step on her hurting leg.

Nope. She was right. Her leg was killing her, sending waves of pain up her body as she cried on the floor. _Tom, please make the pain go away. This is punishment for the dream, isn't' it? I had unholy thoughts about you. Please, I'm sorry. Take away the pain._ Like God has actually listened to her prayer and decided to grant it, a green-himmed robe appeared in front of her direct vision on the floor. _Tom?_ She thought hopefully. She looked up, excited to finally see her Tom. But it wasn't him. It was Draco.

"Liking the floor, Weasley? I guess you must be used to it though. I've heard that's what you sleep on at home as well." Ginny scowled at the smirking blonde before beginning to laugh. "What are you laughing at?" Draco spat out like it was disgusting for him to even be talking to her. It was like speaking to a Muggle or even worse, a mudblood. A blood traitor was below everything else. She just kept right on laughing, pointing at him, and then laughing again even harder.

"Your face! Priceless!" Draco scowled and lifted his hand as though to strike her, then seeing no one was around, cautiously smiled. He put his arm around her and hoisted her up. Her laughing face turned into one of anguish. Immediately he dropped her, thinking he was the cause of her pain, but instead of helping, it just made her land on her calf and scream out.

"Ginny… Ginny, what's wrong? What's wrong with you, damn it?" he cried to her as he backed up against the wall, staring at her crying. To see a girl crying on a cold floor caused unwanted emotion in the young Malfoy. Ginny sniffed and looked up to at him. Her eyes fell on her leg and Draco's followed. Her thin leg was bent awkwardly and still swelling. Ginny knew he was trying to act as if it was nothing, but she saw him tense as he stared. "Shh" he cooed to her. "It'll be fine. Ju-just give me a minute to think. Maybe- no. But-the nurse! Ginny I'm gonna take you to the nurse, all right?" She nodded and he leant to pick her up, holding her in his arms as one would hold a small child. _Well, _He thought._ She looks the part._

Ginny's hair, although very messy still from the morning, was cascading down her back in small ringlets. They fell to far below her shoulders and Draco, however disciplined he was to keep his opinion to himself, couldn't help but admire and want to play with them. Her chocolate doll eyes were sparked with intensity and glowed with innocence. She just had this aura about her from her innocence, and the radiance of it was what most people noticed. She still glowed. In this day and age, she still glowed. Draco was different than what he had been. He had most definitely changed since this glowing, beautiful girl walked into his life. Really argued her way into his life. She reminded him of the carefree days when he was younger. She was just like Bian- no, he mustn't think of her.

Ginny threw him a smile, causing him to smile. Was it love he felt? He had been so deprived of it since the day he turned six; he could barely remember how it felt. Draco flamed with anger. She would never return his feelings. She was a Weasley. She was "better" than him and he would just bring her down. The little lost princess. The damsel in distress… Ginny noticed Draco tense again and looked at him quizzically. He merely looked away.

It may be pondered how a person who was raised by someone such as Lucius Malfoy could possibly love, let alone like, a Weasley. Draco sometimes wondered that himself when he lay awake at night. He just saw something in this innocent little Weasley princess that was so…Slytherin.

"Draco…." Ginny whispered his name. He closed his eyes and let her words just surround him. "Draco, where are we going?" His eyes snapped open. They were in front of the Slytherin portrait hole. He had assumed he was taking her to the Hospital Wing, but he went on autopilot as he thought and guessed this was a little hint from his subconscious at what he really wanted.

"I was planning on taking you to my private rooms, Gingerbread. See if I can do anything for that leg of yours." Why did he say that? Ginny visibly tensed and she began to stutter like mad trying to get out a sentence. Draco beat himself up while Ginny's mind begun to hiss like it was trying to ward him off.

"Well, that's all in good fun, but I'd rather just go to the Hospital Wing. Please." Visions of Tom above her on the floor, moaning as she begged him to stop filled her mind. Draco smirked and said the password to the portrait. "Draco, please take me to the Hospital Wing." He shook his head and laughed in merriment. No one listened to her. Didn't they know that no meant no. "Please!"

"It's just my room, Gingerbread. I'll fix your leg and-" He broke off, examining her up and down, squirming in his arms. "Then I'm sure we can find something to do, Little Gin." Ginny massaged her temples as the hissing overpowered all her thoughts and pounded against her head, wanting to get out. It was like the Greek Goddess Athena who pounded to get out from inside her father Zeus's head until she was set free. And she was a goddess and he a God. Who knew what this headache might produce from a witch. Draco took her moment of hesitation to push open the portrait and begin to climb in.

"Draco! STOP!" He froze, rooted to the spot and then he moved, mechanically to say the least, away from the portrait, backing up to the opposite wall. It was like he was just a little wizard pawn and someone high above them that no one could see was controlling him. She was the queen. It was his job to capture her. Gently touching his face, Ginny checked around to make sure he was okay. He opened his mouth and turned his head to speak to her when…

"Malfoy!" Hermione Granger had entered the picture. "Malfoy let go of her. Put her down nice and easy. Now!" Draco rotated around to face her with Ginny, who had her arms laced around his neck, still in his caress. How this must look right now! "I said put her down, Malfoy. Or… I'll be forced to go fetch Professor McGonagall. Ginny unlaced her fingers while Draco sneered and began to take steps toward Hermione.

"Ooh, I'm so scared. Don't go tell the Professor on me, please!" Draco was mock groveling, on his knees beside Ginny whom he had laid propped up onto the wall. Seeing Hermione's blank face, he growlingly stood and they had a stare down. "So Mudblood, the Weasley princess is down. What do you want me to do now? Lick your filthy shoes to prove you are better than such a lowly soul as I? Like that'll happen." Hermione, despite the prowling dragon circling her and talking in that tone, that chilling tone- terrifying because it was normal, held up her chin in dignity and did not flinch at one stinging remark. He scoffed and walked towards Ginny, picking her up again and making her comfortable. Hermione started to protest when she spotted Ginny's leg. Her eyes narrowed as she looked back at Draco accusingly. He scowled dangerously. She was accusing him of doing that to Ginny! "Don't even think about it, Granger. Like I would hurt a Weasley and get expelled for it by Dumb-as-a-door."

Hermione still watched suspiciously but she turned her focus to Ginny. "Ginny, what are you doing? Malfoy is- well, do I dare to say embracing- you and he's heading toward his bedroom. Doesn't this give you the slightest hint of what he's planning? Can you get it through your thick head that Malfoy is taking you to his rooms where he can rape you and say you wanted it because you came to his room!" Ginny began to blush ferociously and Draco burned, wanting to jump this worthless Mudblood and cut her up so she could never hurt his Ginny again. His Ginny. As he thought this, the hissing jumped over to his own head. "Or maybe you do want it. But why with him?" Draco felt his pale complexion, which never strayed beyond slight pink, grow redder and redder each second she talked. Pretty soon he would be a redskin for the rest of his life. Ooh, would she regret it then! "Besides, if you do want to lose your virginity, there are better men who would be very gracious towards you. I know for a fact that Harry is most tender and would treat you well if you went to him." Ginny winced, knowing what would occur as soon as Harry was mentioned. Draco exploded, his voice ringing up and down the empty corridor.

"Why you filthy, little Mudblood whore!" Draco roared, dropping Ginny and pushing her to safety away from him and against the far wall.

"I beg your pardon, Malfoy! I happen to be a virgin!" Hermione argued, her smile turning into a sneer with her shock. Draco turned to Ginny who merely shrugged.

"So how could you know about Harry? I always had my suspicions about you, Potter, and Weasley junior who you hang out with. But you're now telling me that you know he's tender with women... and you also just happen to be a virgin?" questioned Draco. Hermione looked around with wide eyes, wishing desperately he hadn't caught onto that little detail.

"Well..." she started to say, stopping as she realized her brains were still tired from her lack of sleep. After all, how else could Hermione Granger's brains not get the better out of a Malfoy? "All right, I did lie a bit. I don't know "for a fact", as you say, but he is sweet. And I am a virgin. After all, I'm only thirteen years old. Why on Earth would I want to lose my virginity to anyone but my husband? And that young? Tsk tsk tsk, Malfoy. I thought you knew me better. Aren't you a virgin?"

His father, Lucius, had wished his son would be the kind who deflowered all his housemates before his thirteenth birthday. Unfortunately for Lucius, Draco, although maybe becoming that sort of man in the future, had no place or desire to be in his housemates' beds. "Of course, Granger. I, after all, am only twelve. For a few more months at least, I'd honestly rather play Quidditch," he replied smugly. "Ginny here," he pointed to her on the ground. "Ginny would more likely be raped by Dumbledore than by me..."

So, in the past three minutes, Hermione had called Ginny a slut, called Draco a bastard (well, not in those terms exactly), Draco had defended his honor and virginity, while Hermione did the same. And they still wanted to fight? Ginny tsked softly to herself, still denying that Hermione might actually go through with her plan of attacking Draco. Of course, everyone knows that what Ginny denies will generally happen in the next five seconds...

She looked up to the grubby dungeon ceiling so as to not observe the fight and saw the cold stone surrounding her, like it did in her dream. This whole day was practically a duplicate of her dream, a memory inspired by every turn in her path. She half expected Tom to catch her now that she was vulnerable and smother her mouth in a kiss. Shaking her head, she forced herself to watch her two friends. Draco advanced on Hermione, but she had her wand hidden behind her back. Ginny, by watching on the sidelines, could see this. Draco however, could not. Draco!

"Stop it! Stop it both of you. Please, Hermione, I've had a rough day. My sleep is ruined by a horrible dream, my brothers gang up on me in front of the entire school, Percy forced me down into a seat, and I fell down a flight of stairs. Now, there is one person who is actually trying to help me, and you are about to hex him into a million pieces. Just let him take me to the hospital wing. Please," Ginny pleaded, hanging onto the wall so she could stand, but not put pressure on her hurt leg. Hermione looked at her, contemplating her version of the right thing to do, and then looked around. They were in a long corridor of darkness. No stairs.

"I don't see any stairs," she incoherently whispered to herself at last. Ginny gave Draco a confused look and he shrugged his shoulders, muttering something about crazy mudbloods. Hermione caught the phrase, and if looks could kill… "This hallway, it doesn't have any stairs except the one's all the way down there leading to the old dungeons. The Hospital wing is the opposite way. That means you fell down the stairs that I just came down on and Malfoy here picked you up and brought you here so you two could have sex." Ginny gaped.

"That was ever so subtle, Granger." Draco drawled, instantly drawing Ginny's eyes to his. "But here's the small snag in your analysis. What if Ginny was going down to the old dungeons and fell? I, being the helpful person I am," he paused for Hermione to subdue to laughter. "Heard her cry and came down those steps to get her and I brought her up here. It just happens to be that you came right when we were in front of this portrait. And didn't we already discuss the "no one is going to get raped by me" problem?" Ignoring him, Hermione was still trying to prove Draco was up to no good.

"Then what about the scream?" Hermione argued, sticking out her hip and pouting.

"What scream?"

"The one that led me down here!" Hermione screeched, fed up with this polite interrogation. "I was looking for Ginny and I heard her scream 'Draco! Stop!' What were you doing to her, Malfoy? Why did she scream?" Draco was pale as death; all worries about being red for the rest of his life vanished.

"Hermione," Ginny spoke, unable to stand the silence. "Hermione, just let Drac-Malfoy take me to the Hospital Wing. You know, you know, that you are not strong enough to carry me all that way and there are a lot of stairs between here and there. I won't be able to get there by myself. Just let him take me. Please." Hermione watched her for a minute before nodding and hurrying away. She was going to tell Harry and Ron, the two of them knew, but it was the only way she would've let him help Ginny.

Draco sighed, watching her leave. "Ginny…we should hurry and get you to the Hospital Wing. Your leg keeps getting worse and Pothead and Weasel-." Ginny slapped his arm. "Sorry, Weasley, will be here soon to make sure I'm not doing anything bad to you." He paused before picking her up again. She smiled half-heartedly to him as they headed up the stairs away from the draftiness of the dungeon.

* * *

As soon as they reached the entrance hall, two identical figures stepped out of the shadows where they had been waiting. It was George and Fred. Ginny braced herself to argue and insult when two more people followed the twins into the light. This time, they were anything but identical. One was looming over them all while the other was just a little taller than Ginny. Molly and her angry brother, Josh. Draco halted, staring at the small girl who filled him with detestation and abomination. Molly ignored his look and casually looked at Ginny. 

"Come here, Ginny," said Fred as he held out his arms for Draco to pass her to him. Draco gave a small laugh, which earned him odd glances from the others. Fred grew impatient and made himself known again by whapping Ginny as he pushed his arms out. To hers, and everyone's, surprise, Draco stepped back and hugged her closer to him. There was one thing he might have considered a good thing to remember though, the Weasley temper. George turned as red as a tomato and just grabbed Ginny away from Draco. Fred had had the same idea, so they both ended up with half of her. Ginny cried bloody murder as George held her by the legs, so he dropped her, leaving Fred holding her.

Molly walked to Draco and put her hands on her hips. "Malfoy, this is getting bloody ridiculous. C'mon. Lay off Ginny. What has she ever done to you? Nothing, that's what! And you've broken her leg!" Draco fumed as she continued to rag on him. Did he just give out some mental signal that said he went around in his spare time and broke First-Year Gryffindors' legs? "Now, you break my leg, I understand. We hate each other and are very open about it. Since my first day at this school, you've hated me. You remember that day, when I broke your nose with that rogue spell?" Poor little Molly O'Roark, always bragging. But she had touched a nerve.

Draco was about to attack, ready for the consequences of killing a fellow student, not to mention the sister of one of the most violent students in the school. Josh then made himself known by stepping in front of Draco and blocking his view of Molly. The twins, who were slow learners when it came to common sense, followed his lead and stood in front of their hated housemate. Ginny and Draco's eyes met and he motioned to her his disgust. The twins were fighting Molly's battles. No one ever fought Ginny's that she could remember. Draco could see the loathing welling up behind her eyes. It infuriated her more than anything anyone had said or done to her yet.

"Stop it!" she screamed. Everyone turned to her. Her face was determined as her voice resonated around the bare room. "Someone just take me to get my leg fixed. Please." Draco stepped up to get her when Professor Snape, who had been supervising from a distance at the entrance, rushed over and started dragging him back down the Dungeon stairs with Molly bounding along behind them.

Fred and George headed up towards the Hospital Wing with Ginny holding her little black book. The only way she ever allowed herself to go somewhere was with her diary.

* * *

_Tom._

_**Gin my dear! How've you been? Did you speak with that Malfoy lad like I told you to?**_

_Hi Tom, it's so good to hear from you. I broke my leg when I was running away from my brothers. Draco found me and brought me up to the Hospital Wing. Or at least he tried to. The spell to fix my leg is halfway done now. _

_**Wonderful. Listen princess, would you mind doing me a tiny, itsy-bitsy little favor?** _

_Of course Tom. You've done so much for me. You're my only friend._

_Tom?_

_Tom, are you there?_

_**Don't say I'm your only friend. **_

_There you are! Where were you?_

_**I was thinking.**_

_Oh._

_**Well, this favor. Just relax. Don't panic when I…become you.**_

_Become me? What do you mean become me? I think that just a little bit impossib_

_**What, don't you trust me? **_

_Of course I do, Tom!_

_**Then why won't you do as I say?**_

_I never said I wouldn't. _

_**You questioned my authority.**_

_What's the matter with you today? You seem very… odd. Am I not allowed to doubt something you say?_

_**No you are not, Virginia!**_

_**Gin?**_

_**Ginny, I'm sorry.**_

_It's fine. Just keep talking Tom._

_**Gin…I really am sorry. I'm just in a bad mood.**_

_I said keep talking!_

_**All right, my little princess. Now, try to remember this in that beautiful little head of yours. **_

_Tom, I'm not beautiful and you know it._

_**You are the most beautiful fist year I have ever met.**_

_Really? Thank you. That was really sweet._

_**I know. You're worth every smile I give you. Go to the girl's bathroom, third floor, and first corridor. It's the one that always floods. Go to the sinks. That's it. Got all that?**_

_Go to the sinks? What kind of stupid favor is this? _

_**I said don't question me! Just do it! All of it. Don't leave out anything. It's simple enough.**_

_Why me?_

_**Beg pardon?**_

_Why me, Tom!_

_**Don't talk to me in that tone, little girl! I mean… because I need you Ginny. A lovely little innocent Gryffindor. A pure, little Gryffindor.**_

_I get the picture, Tom. Sometimes I swear you're bipolar. Why not someone like Molly?_

_**For one thing, Molly is not pure and innocent as you are. No Gryffindor at this school is. None but you. **_

_What do you want me to do afterwards?_

_**Nothing… You can see me if you come now. I'll tell you stories like I used to. Is that okay with you?**_

_You… You're really going to tell me stories again? I thought you said I was too old for stories when I started Hogwarts._

_**No one is too old for stories, Gin. Go to the sinks, I want to see you.**_

_I… I'm in the Hospital Wing right now._

_**Please. I love you Gin. You're my little princess.** _

_Really? Then I'll do it!_

_**Excellent.**_

_**

* * *

**_

Okay, time to do the things I need to do.

First of all disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize. I don't even technically own the plot. I just own Ginny's side of it. And the actual writing. I own that because I typed it and wrote it myself.

2: If you are mentioned, whether you are a student, or a broom, you are going to be the opposite of how you are in the real world.

3: I'd also like to point out that I am well aware of Ginny Weasly's real name, but I did research on the name Virginia when I was reading a book of names, and I thought J.K. a genius for having put that name because it basically explains Ginny. So for the entirety of this fic, her name shall be Virginia Anne Elizabeth Weasly whether you like it or not.

4: I've mentioned this before, but just to make it clear, if you see a little girl in future chapters named Tirza Snape, that is Molly. I am revising this story and writing the character of Tirza out. Since this is a work-in-progress and not a finished fic, I can still do that.

_Anyone's thoughts._ (I know it's the same as Ginny's diary writing, but my beta confirmed to me that no one would be confused)

_Ginny's diary writing._

_**Tom's diary writing.**_

P.S. This story is rated what it is for implied rape, minor language, and self-mutilation in later chapters. If there is any change in the rating (most likely, it might go up) I shall let you all know with R warnings. Like, if there is a part of one of my chapters that is DEFINATELY not PG-13, then I shall have an R warning right beforehand and afterward, so that those who don't want to read the R parts can skip them. If I ever end up doing this, then I will have an author's note at the bottom of the chapter, explaining what happened in the R part so people are not pressured. I know this is not an issue for most fo you, but some of you would not believe the comments I have gotten in the past.

Yours truly,

Emma Riddle, the Daughter of the Dark.


	3. Stained

**Stained with Ink**

* * *

Ginny collapsed onto the hospital bed. Her legs were ablaze again. Pain shot through her body in small spurts every few seconds. What was happening? To help ease the pain, she whimpered, squeezing the pillow in her hands for dear life. As suddenly as they had started, they stopped. It felt as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over her legs. Shivering, she thankfully welcomed the water quelling the fire burning inside of her. It now reduced to smoldering ashes deep in the pit of her stomach.

Ginny stood up and as she did, she fell back down immediately. _What?_ It was like half her body was trying to rebel against what she wanted to do.

_**You didn't relax**,_ said an annoyed voice in the back of her head. Ginny was startled. She looked around the room to see who was talking. When she saw no one, her thoughts began to swim around in her head.

_Oh joy of joys, I'm having a mental breakdown. They'll have to take me to the cuckoo's nest. I'll be kicked out of school..._ she thought, beginning to panic, pounding at her head to try to get the voice out. It sounded like there was a slight chuckle back there, but she didn't know for sure.

_**You said you would relax. You claimed you could be a big girl and relax when I-**_

_Tom?_ The voice paused when she interrupted it; like it was thinking of the best way to put something.

**_You didn't know who I was?_** Then it continued. **_Who else would I be?_**

_Tom, I didn't think you would be in my mind._ There was silence on both sides. Neither one of them wanted to be the first to talk- or as the case may be- think. Tom wanted Ginny to come out and say how joyful it would be to have them always connected like this like she used to be, where as Ginny wanted Tom to explain why he was connected to her in this way. _You have a lovely voice,_ admitted Ginny after she was tired of waiting. Tom, surprised, sputtered before getting out a complete question to Ginny.

**_You've never heard my voice before, princess?_** Ginny shook her head, having no answer because she had never seen or heard or read Tom act surprised. It was like everything to him was the seventeenth time he had seen it. Nothing was new to him, so he was always calm and collected, much like Draco. They were so much alike. **_Now, you must relax. It is imperative for the success of this journey I have made._** Ginny stopped paying attention as he, like her brothers, just went on about a simple little accomplishment like they were the great Harry Potter. So he had established a connection between their minds, like that was so great. He hadn't defeated the single most powerful wizard in the world. For some reason, she thought she felt Tom get agitated at that thought of hers.

_Tom, I hate to tell you this, but it is rather hard for me to relax when there is someone running about my mind._ Ginny felt her face flush with color as she was filled with an anger that was not hers.

With gritted teeth, she heard Tom think to her, _**Just relax.** _

She did as she was told, keeping one small part of her aware of what Tom was doing, and she felt her feet move and take her somewhere on their own accord. They were leaving the room, dragging her step by step down the stairs and through random doors. Where were they going? Ginny felt herself stop, and opened one eye to peek at where they were. Opening both eyes in marvel, she saw an elaborately carved door, tinted a sierra hue. The door creaked as Ginny pushed it open and walked through. Tom was humming a little tune to himself, making Ginny do the same. The bathroom would have been nice if it had been properly cared for. There were a myriad of water stains all over the floors and on the walls, making the atmosphere feel a lot like the Weasly twins' room. She found it odd that she had never been in here before but thought there must be a plausible explanation that none of the prefects ever directed her to this bathroom. That's when she heard the weeping.

A girl, probably around Percy's age, had locked herself in one of the stalls and was crying herself out. Rather loudly too, if you think about it. Ginny headed towards the hall, intent on calming this poor girl down. Tom frowned and slightly nervously jerked her away from that whole side of the room. Glaring, Ginny started a fight with herself just to do a simple thing. Eventually, she got the best of that old Tomcat, or maybe he let her win, and she stood in front of the stall perplexed. The crying had stopped, and she couldn't see anyone's feet under the stall door. Well, they couldn't have disappeared…

_Are you okay in there?_ Ginny asked, knocking on the door twice.

Tom sighed exasperatedly. **_In your head, princess._ _But it doesn't matter. She's dead._** Ginny stared up in disbelief at the corner of the wall where she imagined Tom was so she could have something to talk to. She laughed, somewhat nervous, but mostly just making fun of him.

_Dead? Dead! What do you mean she's dead? Oh, that's funny Tom. That's very funny. I can bloody hear her right in front of me, so how can she be dead?_

In a sing-songy voice, he replied. **_You can hear Nearly Headless Nick now, can't you?_** Ginny was speechless, trying to think up something snappy to say.

_Bu-but ghosts don't cry_

Tom just laughed this time. _**This one does.** _

"I wish you wouldn't talk about me like that. Like I don't have feelings. Like I can't hear you." A silvery shadow of a girl floated through the door, making Ginny's mouth fall. The ghost was obviously a Hufflepuff before she died, as she was still wearing her crested robe. Her pencil-darkened pigtails fell to her shoulders and were tied with a pale yellow ribbon that was the only color on her. She was slightly pudgy with round cheeks made transparent with see-through tears.

_**Ginny, this is Moaning Myrtle.** _Myrtle sniffed and turned away, as if she was trying to ignore them. But Ginny could see she was shivering. She was scared.

"Go away, Tom Riddle. I didn't think you'd be back here in such a hurry. This is a girls' bathroom after all." Tom shifted uneasily when Myrtle directly acknowledged him. Something had happened between the two of them and obviously Tom didn't want her to know about it. Ginny just blocked out her train of thought and talked to Tom.

"Tom." He laughed like he was trying to keep in his anger, oddly asking why she was talking aloud for the entire world to hear. "Tom, I don't care how this ghost of a girl can hear you, but which sink do you want me to be at? I've done what you've told me to do and now I'm sort of wishing that I had never agreed to have anything to do with you. All this stuff is not good Tom! So do what you have to do and be done with it!" Tom raised her eyebrow in shock after this whole explosion from his loyal little Gryffindor and he spoke soothing words, calming her. Myrtle watched the girl calm herself down quizzically.

"Ginny girl," Myrtle called out, making Ginny meet her gaze. "He's using you, you know. He's using you to open the Chamber of Secrets." Ginny furrowed her forehead. What? "He'll use you, seduce you, love you, and leave you. He's done it before and he'll do it again… to you. Whatever you do, do not open that Chamber. You won't believe the power he will have over you. Already you're under his control and it'll only get worse. He'll make you do all sorts of things the likes of which I'll never know. Don't listen!" Ginny silenced her by slapping her hard across the face. Myrtle cried and dove into the toilet, splashing a layer of water over the damp floor. Ginny clutched her racing heart. She had slapped Myrtle and she felt her cold, moist skin. She had felt a ghost… but she couldn't… no one could.

Tom steered her over to the sinks and calmed her again. **_Just a little longer princess. Come on; don't give up now. Open your mind to me and I'll steer you._** Tom pleaded with her. Ginny nodded and complied, too shocked to protest. She could feel his presence in her mind grow stronger until it filled her mind and overpowered it. She could almost see his toothy grin. **_Excellent._** She thought she heard him say before the world went black. Ginny thought no more.

* * *

Ginny's eyes fluttered open. She was standing in a dim corridor with a bucket in her hand. This corridor looked oddly familiar, like she had seen it in a dream, or long ago. As she looked down to her clammy hands, she dropped the metal bucket. It rolled around the marble floor spreading something sticky and red over the floor. The same item of whatever it was that was on her hands. Somewhere in the multitude of floors above her, the clock tower chimed seven. Seven? Seven! The Halloween feast!

She raced down the hallway, running her hand along the granite wall, leaving a trail of red showing her progress. The feast was already half over and there was no way to sneak in unnoticed by the teachers unless you came at the exact moment the students stood to sing Hogwarts's song. If it was already half over, she was much too late for that. She took a detour to the girl's washroom and headed strait for the sinks. Holding her sickening smelling hands under the faucet, ice water showered onto the substance turning the water in the basin a deep red hue. A breath of relief escaped her lips before she noticed the basin was stained with the red. It wouldn't come off, nor would it scrub off her hands. Her hands were still stained with that damned substance. She nearly rubbed her hands raw, avoiding the red-encrusted ring around her marriage finger while the noise from the Great hall grew louder and louder. Ginny whimpered, still trying in vain to get off the red. The feast was over. Everyone would be coming out now and seeing her red hands.

Drying her hands, she stuffed them in her pockets and walked to the doors. She could just merge in with everyone else as they came out in a pack. The double doors to the Great Hall burst open and just as Ginny predicted, she was engulfed in the crowd. The crowd walked along the corridor where Ginny had found herself earlier yet no one noticed the trail on the wall. They did, however, notice the school's golden trio standing in front of a red stained wall. Ginny's eyes grew wide. There were letters written on the wall, letters written with the same substance that was in that bucket and covering her hands. Mrs. Norris hung from a torch holder. She too was covered in the red. It was strange though. When on something alive, it looked remarkably like blood.

In the silence, Ginny heard a small hiss and turned her head to see what it was. What she thought was the tail of a snake flipped as it disappeared around a corner. Fourth year's grunt brought her back to the trio. Harry was tracing the blood-written words high above Ginny's head with his hand. Murmuring to himself, he read the statement posted so valiantly on the wall. "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir- beware." What did that mean? She'd heard that name before. Yes, Moaning Myrtle had said it. She said that Tom would use her to open this Chamber of Secrets. The name left a shiver on her spine like it was something she couldn't have- wasn't supposed to have. Something forbidden.

"Enemies of the Heir beware! You'll be next Mudbloods!" Ginny heard Draco call from somewhere if the front of the crowd. His cold eyes were alive, his usually bloodless face flushed, as he grinned at the sight of the hanging, immobile cat.

"What's going on here?" Filch had come into the corridor and saw the hold up. Draco smiled gleefully to see that he had done something to attract Filch to the Trio. Victoriously, he turned to his entourage, most likely to gloat over what he had just accomplished when he caught Ginny watching him. Quickly, she looked away.

During this short exchange between the two of them, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Filch, Dumbledore, and Snape had all somehow gotten involved in the matter. Lockhart said something Ginny couldn't catch and all of the teachers huddled by the wall whisked the Trio and Mrs. Norris away. Dumbledore calmly explained nothing was wrong and told the students to get on to bed. Hardly anyone listened, though. A few obedient students went on to their common rooms, but most read the words on the wall over and over with fearful eyes.

The Slytherins were the exception to all this fear. They were smiling and laughing about as most of the school had done before they found this here. The school, in their opinion, needed some cleansing. The Mudbloods were not deserving of going to such a fine school, as was Hogwarts. Oh no, they would just let this mysterious Heir get on with his work without anyone interfering. And there would be hell to pay if anyone got in His way.

Ginny was one of the few brave enough to approach the wall. She could feel eyes penetrating her as she neared the blood-covered wall. The background moved around her, but Ginny stayed still, like she was in a reverie. The words etched into her mind. They were so familiar, how she knew them, she didn't know. All of a sudden, Ginny had to lean against the wall to stay on her own two feet. A most rare vision came to her. She saw the wall the words were so boldly written bare. A bloody hand was changing that though. It traveled up and down the length of the wall, forming out the words that the entire school now knew by heart. Ginny tried her hardest to turn to be able to see the author of the words, but as she did, she saw the corridor completely empty. No one but her in sight. In her shock, a bucket she was holding for one reason or another slipped from her grasp, spilling its sticky sweet substance on her robe.

Draco shook her frail body, yelling out to her. "Weasly!" Ginny jolted up, frightened as she hurriedly shoved Draco's hand off of her, nearly knocking him over in her haste. He regained his footing and was about to playfully scold her when he noticed half the student body of Hogwarts watching them with interest. He pushed her away with mock disgust. "How dare you touch me! This _was_ one of my best robes. Now I'll have to get a new one that's not contaminated with your filthy blood traitor's germs." Not one of his more original insults, and saying it made him seem like a second-grader worried about cooties, but Ginny could tell that he didn't want to hurt her with a stinging insult. All was silent as she sadly shook her head and walked away.

* * *

When she reached Gryffindor tower, she sat down against the wall, thinking hard. Who would have written that on the wall? Who would have opened this Chamber of Secrets? Who indeed. Standing up off the wall, she decided it was time to face the noisy common room. Surprisingly enough, there was no one in the common room, or any of the rooms. _Odd._ Plopping down on her own bed, Ginny pulled out the Diary and a fresh quill.

* * *

_Tom?_

_**What is it Ginny?**_

_I think I'm going crazy. There are so many things I don't remember doing tonight that everyone did so I must have, and then there are things I did that I know were impossible for me to do._

_**Improbable, Gin. Nothing is impossible. What do you remember?**_

_I don't know. It's all so fuzzy. It's like this entire day has been a dream._

_**Poor little Gin. You need some rest. Go to sleep, it's perfectly all right. **_

_I have class Tom. Astronomy classes are always Wednesday at midnight no matter what holiday it might be. _

_**It's not Wednesday, Gin dear. It's Saturday.**_

_Saturday? But wasn't yesterda_

_**Friday.**_

_Where is everyone then Tom?_

_**Oh, well, they are at… they're all outside Gin.**_

_This late?_

_**Late? Its barely 7:30! You really need some rest. **_

_I can't rest. You wont believe the things they say happened. _

_**Don't listen to them.**_

_Tom, they say there wer_

_**They're lying.**_

_I don't know where I was! _

_**With me. I was always here. You need to see the nurse, my little princess.**_

_Nurse? Why?_

_**You're so dizzy. You haven't slept in days.**_

_Dizzy. Yes, that's true. Haven't slept…days…_

_**Yes, you really must see the nurse. I insist. **_

_What's this on my hand? Tom?

* * *

_

Tom didn't answer. Ginny felt as if the room was revolving everything but her and she hung her head. If she had been looking, she would have noticed the words written within the book. **_Blood._** It said. Ginny lifted her hand to her nose to see for herself, as Tom wouldn't tell her. Immediately the room stopped twirling. The stench that Ginny would soon grow accustomed to smelling filled her nose. That disgusting stench made all the day's events grow again in Ginny's mind. Over and over the video played itself in her mind's VCR. Each time it got more and more clearer. The bathroom, the ghost, the corridor filled with that smell, the substance on her robes smelling the same, the writing on the wall reeking on this smell. It all clicked together. Blood? Tom had said a full five minutes ago that Ginny had never read. But now she understood. It was all blood.

* * *

Ginny awoke, still woozy and frightened in an unknown bed to her. She was in the Hospital Wing, empty beds surrounding her own. The bloody robes from earlier were cleaned and folded at the foot of her bed. Scratchy material clung to her as she moved around. She was wearing a white hospital gown, or robe, which is what it really was. The room was quiet with the eerie atmosphere of an infirmary. The beds beside hers were all neatly made, seeming ready and eager for children to grow sick and lay in them.

Madame Pomfry was a middle-age failure of a witch- practically a squib. All she was good at was medi-magic and at that there were none better. Her hair was a deep auburn always tied back in a simple bun to keep it out of her face. She was going gray, the only sign of her age visible. Most students, whether in first or seventh, saw the kind and welcoming lady up in the Hospital Wing as a mother. She not only dished out healing charms, _Skele-Gro_, and remedies, but also advice, sympathy, a listening ear, and hugs. Ginny saw her, not as a mother, but rather as the big sister she never had who was never too busy to give a shoulder to cry on.

"Oh good, you're awake." Madame Pomfry bustled into the room with her large tray of potions. "We didn't know what happened to you, dear. But we were surely scared. Students start collapsing right after this attack… it's enough to make anyone frightened. Well, you were the only one, but that made even Dumbledore most nervous." Madame Pomfry had a tendency to just run on and on about something, never stopping. "But I told him, we should hear what happened from your own two lips. So, what happened, Ginny?" Ginny fiddled with the strange ring on her hand.

What had happened? All she remembered were snatches of things she perceived as dreams; things that couldn't possibly be real. A damp room with sinks opening to reveal a large manhole. Blood-written letters looming out for all to see. Blood on her robes, the wall, her very hands. A dark silhouette of a man beckoning her to a large chamber- the chamber in her dreams. She had been frightened. Frightened it was all real.

"I was just scared. What if this heir hates me? I might be next." Ginny worried about none of these things. But she was too embarrassed to tell her the real reason she had fainted. She was too ashamed. Madame Pomfry wrapped her arms around her shoulders in what she thought was a comforting position. While like this, Ginny could see, over the woman's broad frame, a glass vase was on her bedside table, filled with several white long-stemmed roses. "Where did these come from?" She asked. Madame Pomfry dropped her arms, confused, before following Ginny's gaze to the roses. She gave a small knowing smile.

"Someone dropped them by earlier. When they heard you missed your classes, they were worried so they just dropped these by." She sighed, holding her heart. "Oh dear me! Me, an old lady, getting all worked up over a fancy of white roses. I wanted to display them so when you awoke, you would know someone noticed you were gone. I can dispose of them if you want." Standing and holding the roses, Madame Pomfry slyly asked, wondering what the reaction would. Ginny gazed at the stunning roses and shook her head almost viciously. Madame Pomfry laughed and put them down, fluffing them out to present each one equally. Ginny scooted over to the edge of her bed and reached out to touch the glorious flowers. Madame Pomfry slapped her hand away before smiling apologetically. "Lay down child. You need to regain your strength even if it takes until Monday." Ginny smiled, pushing the hair out of her eyes before realizing something. Madame Pomfry had said she missed classes. Tom had said it was Saturday. Why would Tom lie to her? Could she trust him?

She had to shake her head discreetly to get the thought out of her head. Of course she could trust Tom. He was her best friend. Why would he lie to her? It didn't make sense, but Ginny knew if she continued to question Tom, he would know and get mad. And you didn't want Tom to be mad. "Who sent them? Please tell me. I need to know!" She was acting like a small child on Christmas morning, rushing to see what they received. After a moment of silent consideration, Madame Pomfry agreed, handing a miniature card to Ginny that had come half buried beneath the roses.

'Hope you feel better, Harry.' Harry! Oh, that was killing Ginny. Harry gave Ginny Weasly flowers. Ginny Weasly had received flowers from the great and noble Harry bloody-boy-who-lived Potter! So he was open about it and not a secret admirer like the boys in books. Who cares! The boy who she had had a girly crush on since they first laid eyes on each other back on September first of last year now loved her back. This was all the proof that he did love her. She sighed, lost in this daydream, totally oblivious to all else. Four hundred and twenty six days since they first gazed upon each other. Finally he was showing her the love and respect he would always feel for her. No one else would love him or love her. No one better touch him. They were each other's now, forever and for always. They would just be wrapped in each other's embraces forever.

A strange feeling filled her gut. It wasn't reality, although it should have been. No, the feeling was…very difficult to describe. It was bizarre. All this thought on future weddings with this boy of her dreams and love and maybe even giving him her innocence had sparked a new idea in her head. The fire scorched sky-high, burning all thoughts of loving Harry to a withering handful of ashes. This fire did bring the reality kick that Ginny needed to bring her down from cloud nine, but it was a painful way to come to Earth. The mind has many doors. And for some reason, this feeling she felt right now was locking up all her girlhood dreams.

Feelings are one of the hardest things to talk about. Even with someone you've never lied to in your life, you're not completely open with your feelings. Some things need to be tied down by a stake in the yard, while others should frolic about, letting everyone see their hair blowing in the wind. Most of the time, humans tend to confuse which one should be tied down and which one is to be let free. This feeling should have been tied down somewhere where she would never hear its blasphemous ideas again. But of course she had to let it out or it would destroy the very essence of what was Ginny, and what was this strange thing walking bout her mind, opening random doors not caring what came out of them. For Ginny would or even could never feel this way if something not planted this seed of doubt in the back of her mind. She was feeling something different for Harry right now. This was a feeling of…oh, what can you describe this feeling with? Loathing. It was like someone despised Harry because she loved him so.

"How long was I unconscious?" Ginny asked, startling Madame Pomfry. She had thought Ginny would be content daydreaming for hours with the new hope the roses brought to her. It had been a full 13 minutes in which Ginny had gazed longingly at the roses in her hand with a bemused expression on her face.

"For nearly two day, Poppet. You've been unconscious for nearly two day. Luckily for you, love, Wednesday was a holiday, meaning shortened classes for the rest of the week. We were starting to worry you might never come back. This wasn't an ordinary "jump-on-a-chair-and-faint-when-you-see-a-mouse" faint. Something serious happened to you. It must have. If it's more than a day, we here at Hogwarts classify that as a coma. I –er- heard from Tirza, your roommate, oh, well you know that, that you had a nightmare on Halloween morning. That was the morning before you passed out, so I believe that they are connected. What did you see?" Ginny's lip began to quiver. She grabbed hold of her blankets, pretending to cough so Madame Pomfry wouldn't see how scared she really was.

Taking deep breaths and gulping her fear away, Ginny laid out her blankets exactly as they had been on top of her. She had bought enough time to think up what to do. _Make a debate. Think up something she won't be expecting from you, Ginny girl._ "Obviously this dream Tirza is spreading about and everyone is now talking about, cannot possibly be connected. It happened more than 15 hours before the incident of- er- passing out. But do you still want to hear what I saw in my dream, even though it has no possible connection to this discussion." Madame Pomfry raised an eyebrow at the stuttering girl who was pretending to be an erudite lawyer. Ginny noticed this and tensed. She had to think up a good lie. What was a good lie? _There's no time for a good lie right now Ginny Weasly! Just spurt something out!_ Ginny nodded to herself and turned back to Madame Pomfry. "I saw my brothers. Yeah, that's right. They all shunned me. They were ashamed. And my parents threw me out of the house, claiming I wasn't really their daughter anymore." _All because they saw I had tainted their perfect bloodline with filth. They couldn't even look at me without disgust in their eyes_ "That's the great dream everyone has been so anxious about. Isn't it magical?" Madame Pomfry opened her mouth, then thought against it and frowned. She had been expecting something completely different. "Now, I need to –er- rest. Yes, that's right, you're always telling me to rest, so I need to rest now. Please leave so I can be alone." Reluctantly, Madame Pomfry followed the orders from this once sweet and pure little girl, now an uptight prude, who ordered her to leave. There was this itching urge to delve deeper into Ginny's dream, perhaps some child psychology sessions she saw those folks in Muggle-movies do. But patients did need rest; Madame Pomfry would be the first to petition for that.

* * *

_Tom, I need to talk to you._

_**Ginny? Ah, you're awake now darling. But what's the matter, princess? Tell old Tom everything. **_

_Old? You're not ol- never mind. I need to ask you a question you have to swear to answer truthfully. _

_**You know princess that I can't swear to tell the truth unless I know the question. **_

_So I can never trust you! Why can't you just tell me the truth? For once!_

_**You sound angry, Gin. Calm down. Are you saying that I've never told the truth? I'm insulted.**_

_Tom, please. Focus. I don't care if you lie to me on this, even though I don't know why you would, but where was I on Halloween? _

_**Surely you remember that.**_

_Don't laugh at me Tom Marvelo Riddle! _

_**That was a little below the belt Virginia Anne Elizabeth Weasly. What do you remember about that night?**_

_Wow. Major déjà vu on this conversation, Tom... I think I've told you before that all I remember is being in a hall and seeing those horrible words. Those evil words… And having that vision. _

_**Don't think about that. You were…asleep on Halloween. Slept through the whole feast. **_

_Well, that explains some lingering questions. But why did I wake up in a hallway? _

_**Simple. You were sleepwalking. **_

_Tom, I don't sleepwalk. And how would you know, anyway?_

_**Gin, Gin, Gin… how would you know?**_

_I guess I wouldn't. _

_**That's right. **_

_Why do you like Draco so much?_

_**Oh, well I see him as a younger, more platinum blonde version of myself. Very untrustworthy though.**_

_Well, so are you. But, I think I'm starting to feel for him._

_**You mean feel like you feel for Harry. Now you feel that way for Draco. I never knew someone who's so innocent could be such a slut.**_

_Tom! Why did you say that? Do you really feel that way?_

_**No.**_

_**I was just blowing off steam.**_

_Oh. Well, are you okay with this?_

_**Of course not! Break up with him!**_

_What? Tom, I'm not gonna break up with my first real boyfriend. _

_**He wasn't a real boyfriend. You were using him! Break up with him, Goddamn it! **_

_I don't care. I don't want to use him anymore._

_**Then you will break up with him.**_

_No!_

_**Virginia… I am ordering you to break up this instant!

* * *

**_

Ginny couldn't shake off the way Tom had written her name with such anger; the words were scribbled, as if his hands had shaken while he wrote to her. It made the sight of him hovering over her, breathing her name come back full force, knocking a tear or two out of her eyes. Closing the diary, Ginny wiped a tear off her face and hid the diary carefully underneath her pillow. Tom was making her do this. She couldn't believe Tom was making her do this. She couldn't believe she was listening to what Tom told her to do. They would never meet. He could never enforce his threat. _What's the worst he can do? _Ginny thought. _He could stop responding to your writing. He could forget you even existed, just like everyone else._ That was the ultimate threat.

* * *

Draco burst into the Hospital Wing, his hands full of fresh daisies. "Gin, my angel, my jewel, my Gingerbread! Someone told me you were sick. Well… they didn't actually tell me… I was kind of eavesdropping on Potter and heard. But the important thing is that I heard, right? I came running up here. You're the only one that understands me. I've missed you." Ginny gently took the flowers and smelt them. They smelled a little damp, but he had just come from the dungeons. "To tell you the truth," Draco held Ginny's hand away from the flowers as he spoke. He seemed to realize they smelled days old. For flowers, that's very aged. "I didn't get them for you. Parkinson, that pug, sent them to my rooms on Halloween to get me to like her. Ha! Like anything would work with that cause. But they were pretty, and you were sick so I thought to myself, 'You know, something good can come of this.' Actually not. That's a really Gryff thing to say, no offense meant. I just said, maybe she'll like 'em and brought them by." After all those random words, Ginny just put down the daisies and took Draco's hand. He smiled, pulling up a chair to her bed, still holding tight to her hand.

"Draco, my sweet, thoughtful little dragon. Now I want you to listen. I need some…space from you." Draco's face had been beaming at the start of her speech, but now he yanked away his hand and stood up. "Listen Draco, please. I have just so many brothers. They're everywhere. One in your year, one in sixth, two in fourth and I even have a prefect in sixth. I can't go anywhere without them tailgating me! I'm sick and tired of hiding from them. I can't hide from them anymore! I may never see you, but believe me; I know you're always there. You don't have time to live a double life here, Malfoy. You can choose to live the life your Father pre-ordained for you, or you can choose your own destiny. So, what's it going to be? Taunting Harry, or being with me. It sounds weird saying that out loud, but those are your choices. Please choose."

He walked to her other side and picked up the roses from their proud position atop her bedside table. Trying to grab at them, Ginny just missed as Draco kept stepping farther out of her reach. "So you want me to choose, do you?" At the furious nod, Draco smirked and went on. "Well what makes you sure I'd pick you? Do you know what my Father would do if he ever found out about this with him trying so hard to get you and…" Ginny cocked her head sideways, wanting him to go on, but he seemed to realize he had said too much. "I mean, er… With me being a Malfoy and you a pathetic Weasel." He caressed the vase close to his heart, trying to hold on to something real. "You aren't important to me, weasel-bee. I- I was just having some fun. And these flowers…they wouldn't be from your precious Potter, now would they?" he had found the card. " 'Hope you feel better, Harry.' Well isn't that sweet. Is the saint of all mudbloods finally in love? Or don't you just wish it?" His voice sent chills running up her spine and tears down her face. She clamped her hands over her ears so she wouldn't hear him anymore.

Then Draco angrily hurled the vase onto the wall. Shards of glass flew so far they nearly gorged into Ginny's eyes. She shrieked, covering her eyes with her hands, causing Draco to mock her, jumping onto the bed to yell right in her face. "You're using him, Virginia! You little whore! You wrench! Goddamn it Ginny, you were using me!" Then he turned on his heel and left. Madame Pomfry hustled as fast as she could in to the room, having heard the sickening crash of glass on marble, entering to find Ginny huddled over her roses on the floor crying.

"Oh sweetheart, what's the matter?" Ginny just kept crying and hugging her roses close to her. "Sweetheart, let's get back in bed and I'll fetch you a nice calming potion. Okay?" Hurrying to her private stores of potions, she didn't see Harry and Ron stride in. They walked over to Ginny's empty bed, talking and apparently not noticing she wasn't in there anymore. Then Harry struck out his arm, stopping Ron and making him irritated that Harry would knock the wind out of him. They both stared at the vacant bed.

"Where is she?" Harry asked. Ginny had obviously slept in the bed and her uniform was still folded on the bed, so where was she? " Maybe she woke up. Maybe she's back at the dormitory already. Or maybe she's dead. But I'm pretty sure that wasn't the case when she was brought up here. She's awake then!" Ginny smiled despite herself. Harry was being an imbecile of course, but he sounded like he was worried about her. Ron and Harry turned to check with Madame Pomfry when they came face to face with Ginny.

"Ginny!" Ron cried, hoisting up his little sister by the arms. "What are you doing on the floor? Trying to give your big bro a heart attack, are you?" He helped Harry carry her to her bed and they both tucked her in. Ron crossed to her other side, so as not to have Harry in the way and placed a brotherly kiss on her forehead. "Well, I guess you're awake." _Oh look, a NEWT level alchemist._ "All of us have been so worried."

Harry smiled shyly at her when he noticed she held the roses in her arms. "Oh yeah. So I guess you like them. The twins did spend a lot of money on those roses. Got 'em for you at Hogsmeade on Halloween to apologize for their earlier behavior-." Harry kept talking but Ginny tuned him out. Of course the roses weren't from him. Why would the great Harry Potter, the bloody boy-who-lived, give her, a plain, dull, first year, sister of his best friend, roses? He would never love her.

Ginny hurriedly stuffed her hand under her pillow. She needed to talk to the one person who cared about her. As soon as she touched the cold leather surface of the book, Harry and Ron were trivial. But they were still obstacles in her path meaning they had to go.

"Ron, Harry, I think I'm feeling better now. You can go." What worked with Madame Pomfry obviously didn't work here. They looked at her and laughed. She had had a schoolgirl crush on Harry since they had boarded the train last year. To have him so close, acting like he wanted to be with her, it should be a dream come true. Ginny glanced at her brother who was stifling a laugh. Did he think that she was being funny? Her eyes narrowed, and she pointed to the door.

Shrugging his shoulders, Harry motioned for the surprised Ron to follow. But Ron just stared and began prattling about how 'all he wanted to do was protect her' when Harry was able to steer him out. Madame Pomfry had been stalling around her door, not wanting to interrupt a conversation, but now she came out and bounded to the girl's side, a potion clasped in her hand. Ginny began to protest but was shushed by Madame Pomfry force-feeding her the vile stuff. Remarkably, it worked, letting Ginny breathe a sigh of relief. The potion itself tasted like dewy grass but it did calm her down. Rapidly brushing all the glass from the floor and repairing it, Madame Pomfry made sure the potion was working before she went to do some paperwork. That's when Harry decided to return.

Harry was alone, having left Ron at the stairway, and coming for his spare sheet of parchment he had carelessly left lying on the bedside table. Ginny followed him with her eyes until he reached her and met her gaze. Calmly, he picked up the roses from Ginny's lap and set them in the new vase. Ginny nodded her acknowledgement of him, still slightly embarrassed about what Ron probably thought about her and him. "Ginny…I'm sorry for…whatever I did." He pecked her hand like she was a lady and he a gentleman, and held up the roses, vase and all. They really were beautiful, each having snow white petals with the slightest hint of pink at the tips. They weren't just beautiful. They were gorgeous.

Ginny reached out and traced the petals with her finger. Harry smiled that dazzling boy-who-lived smile and lifted the flowers to smell them. With a gasp, he dropped them, breaking the vase for the second time. "What is it? What's the matter Harry?"

He just looked down at the roses by his feet like he wanted to be far, far away from them. Ginny pushed up and crawled along her bed to look upon her precious roses. She shrieked and swiped them up, hiding them behind her back. She didn't really know whether it was to hide it from him… or herself. But it was too late. They both had seen what had happened to the roses although neither knew why it was. The tips of the roses were stained with ink.


	4. The Stranger with Red Eyes

**Stained with Ink**

* * *

_A dark hooded figure stood with his back to the room, speaking to a juvenile boy who was kneeling on the ground to him. "You must get her back. You must befriend her."_

"_Yes Milord." The servant cowered beneath his Master's steel gaze. Shakily crawling to kiss the hem of the Master's robe, the boy, who was barely old enough to be called a teenager, was surprised to feel a kick lash out, aimed for his face. _

"_Get off!" The boy servant bowed his head, ashamed, and licked the blood away from the side of his mouth before it could drip and stain the marble floor. The Master turned again to look out the window at the swarming followers all loyal to this Master with a hint of a smile long ago erased, allowing the boy to regain some pride. "I don't ask much of you, young one. But this is one of the most imperative missions in all my legions! Why must you ruin it?" This time the boy made it to the Master's hem and kissed it before receding to his previous spot groveling on the floor. _

"_I beg your forgiveness, Milord. I did not know it was so vital. I shall try my best to win back her affections, yet I fear they might have shattered with that vase." The boy's remorseful pitch disgusted the older man. How much he would love to smear the floor with this muck that had the nerve to stand at the peak of all the wizards because of his lineage whereas the man he was imploring for clemency had to work all this way from the very bottom. _

_The Master swiveled around, raising his wand elevated high in the air, pointing at the boy forebodingly, yet still so majestically polished and poised. "That's not good enough boy!" The boy was rocking back and forth on his knees, pleading mercy wordlessly. _

"_Please, I'll try my hardest and more!" The young man, who had spent the majority of his existence being trained not to show any emotion, let alarm seep into his voice. A look of loathing from the Master silenced him. _

"**_Imperio!"

* * *

_**

Ginny staggered into the Great Hall with her eyes clamped tightly shut. Draco wouldn't have let the "lie" going around that he had been discarded like a piece of used trash going around. She expected murmuring, pointing, sniggering, when she walked into the Hall or even worse, the silence. The stillness and placidness of what was generally chaotic could drive you to cry right out in front of everyone and everything. And you know everyone is watching you. But all she heard was a regular's day morning going on in all the tables. No one looked at her. No one even noticed her there. Actually, there was one pair of eyes fixed onto her. A pair of sterling eyes belonged to the very boy who Ginny had the day before dismissed. Yet Mr. Malfoy burned the air with his gaze as Ginny stood awkwardly. He was not a happy man. Draco's eyes watched her.

They hadn't really been dating, but it still surprised Ginny that Draco wasn't off bad-mouthing her in every corner in the school. But she assumed that people would have to know they had been somewhat seeing each other for him to lie about dumping her and her being easy and all that jazz. Tom had told her after the break up that she would need to get Draco to trust her again. He had even given her tips on how to bring up the subject over to relationships, particularly their own, and how to beg his forgiveness. If he wanted that, she should never had broken up in the first place. If Tom had listened to her saying breaking up was a bad idea, he still would trust her. But no, no one listens to the youngest Weasley. Tom would only tell her that Draco was crucial in a later part of the plan. He had never told her exactly what the plan was though.

"Hey Weasel!" A Slytherin first year stood calmly and confidently on a bench next to Draco. Ginny turned to face her, taking in the sight of all the Great Hall looking at the two of them. She was quite a pretty girl, with tawny colored curls that fell a little past her shoulders. Her eyes were a smoldering coffee color that penetrated through the toughest of façades. Ginny had seen her before in the joint potions class that Gryffindor throughout all the years had with their corresponding Slytherins. "Weasel! I'm talking to you monkey-butt." Ginny was startled. Even Ron, who God above knows, is a little slow, could have thought up a snappier insult that that. That was just a blow to the reputation of Slytherin house! But it did tell her one thing; Draco hadn't kept it completely a secret.

Ginny embraced her books to her chest and walked over to the Ravenclaw table where one of her "friends" sat. This schoolgirl was her partner in Charms for a series of projects that had to be done in succession. So far, all that the girl had done was to call over the lonely child so she could copy down their essay that they _both_ had done. The girl's name was Leslie. She was almost a duplicate of the first year Slytherin, making it extremely difficult for Ginny to be glaring at her while Leslie explained. Of course Leslie was nice to Ginny but didn't really care or want to get any closer. No one did.

"Thanks…Ginny. I was just about to give up on you and do the project myself. But Professor Flitwick would not like it if I said you were holding out on our group work. So thank you." She seized the paper in Ginny's hands and hastily copied it down while the Slytherin first year made faces and rude gestures at them. Seeing her, Leslie halted, alternating between looking at the Slytherins who had their heads banging against the table and the first year who was acting so babyish and childlike and so not Slytherin that was making them do it. "Oh, don't pay attention to her. She's always making some sort of empty threat. She'll never lay a hand on you, though. I only know this because she's my sister. Embarrassing, right? My twin: my other half basically. And yet, we're so different." Stopping, she saw Ginny look at both of them bemused. "We're not identical, if that's what you believe! We're just twins." She seemed too mortified to even reveal that this girl and her were closer than she had already let slip out. "She's my own flesh and blood, and still she doesn't even talk to me anymore since I didn't make it into Slytherin. Her mother was a bloody Muggle-born, yet still she feels the need to dump all her "Mudblood" friends because they're lower than her. She just can't grasp the fact that by doing so, she lost all the respect I had for her. I wish Momma were here to see how her spawn behaves. But I understand you can't pick your family." That wasn't a closing statement. Ginny could tell that a response was anticipated, if not expected.

"No, I guess you can't." And with that, the two first-years went their own ways as if they had never met. To Ginny, this was normal behavior, but that depended on your definition of normal. She had always been used to those people who pretended she didn't exist. Her brothers were told that she was too delicate to play, although she did whenever she could. That's why she spent so much time talking to Tom, confiding in Tom. Hell, even loving Tom. He never ignored her existence. He listened. He cared. He most certainly did occasionally tell her what she must do to remain a close contact of his, but to Ginny, none of that mattered. He was the prince of darkness…and he wanted her as his princess. He was the god of all evil…and he wanted her as his conquest. Tom was genius, charming, eloquent, valiant, and he loved her, and all Ginny wanted was to be with him…it sort of scared her. He controlled so much of her that if he asked her to join him in the shadowy realm of the world between life and death, she would obey most willingly.

Ginny drew in a deep breath before heading again past the Slytherins to get to the Gryffindor table. As she did this, Leslie's twin called her over. A cloud of doubt and suspicion bubbled into Ginny's mind, but she pushed it aside and walked over to Leslie's twin, hoping that this was going to be an apology. Leslie's twin followed her path over with a wide smirk on her face. That alone should have been a telltale sign that this wasn't going to be good. She tilted down onto Ginny's ear and covered her mouth so Ginny alone could hear her. "Let me get something clear to you, Weasel-bee. I know all about your little rendezvous that you had with Draco. He is mine now, little Weasel. So you leave him alone or I swear by the gods above, I will kill you." Then she let her hands fall to her side and seated herself next to Draco.

You can never give up something without wanting it back. Eventually the longing will lesson, but it will still be there, gnawing at you from the back of your mind every time you have time where nothing is running through your head. Why do humans always want what they can't have? It's a basic human need, a thirst for what you don't have. Double points to you if you can never have it. That only makes you want it more. Why do humans do this to themselves? Asking all these questions to herself, Ginny shut her eyes to leave Draco and Leslie's twin and sadly began to walk away.

It seemed as if Draco had started to stand up, causing Ginny to quickly turn to see if it was real. But it wasn't. If he had tried to stand to go after her, he was sitting now as normally as he ever was, and neither Leslie's twin's face nor his revealed anything. The twin sneered at Ginny's retreating back, even more annoyed because she had to pull down Draco again. There was no way that she was going to let some poor, country girl take away what she had worked so hard to obtain.

To make sure there was no threat, Leslie's twin halted all functions screaming at her to screech what her mind kept playing over and over. Ginny was huddled over her books at the Gryffindor tables with her brothers surrounding her, chatting over her and passing things around. That's when the insult was hurled into the Great Hall. "Well, we all knew that Weasley women were easy, Draco. I mean, how else do you explain **_seven_** kids?" The words froze Ginny mid-turn of a page, and made the Weasley boys sit dead still. Ginny was shaking. Was this how everyone saw her now that her marks were so apparent? Even as she read, the marks from Tom's grasp on her arm were ever so apparent. Ron growled, making the Slytherin pale slightly. One thing that Leslie's slightly thick twin might have taken into consideration, if she only knew, that Draco didn't warn her about, and that he was smirking because he so "misfortunately" forgot to mention, was that the Weasleys were Momma's boys. And you never want to be caught insulting the Momma of a Momma's boy. Ron bounded up from his seat in rage, the twins following suit. Surprisingly so did Percy which made the Gryffindors draw a collective breath.

Now the Weasleys are a tough family to describe. On the outside you have a happy-go-lucky, typical family with seven kids. Mrs. Weasley was a rather heavyset realist woman who lives through her boys, making them into her perfect models of prim and proper Englishmen. Mr. Weasley was a balding, broke, yet happy, Muggle-lover who would likely in the near future snap his wand in half and parade around London as a Muggle. Needless to say Mr. And Mrs. Weasley did have their fair share of arguments. Their eldest child, Bill, was a previous head-boy who had done all he could to please his mother. That is, all except cut off the shoulder-length ponytail he kept, as many believe, as his only rebellion to his dear mother.

The twins, as everyone know, are a couple of troublemakers, but not everyone knows who Fred and George are. George was born a full four minutes before his twin, and it greatly annoyed him how whenever they were mentioned, it was always Fred and George, or the Twins. No one ever called him George. Just FredandGeorge. It was like it was one word. George loved to be identical to his twin and loved mischief… but sometimes, it was too much. However, if he were to become a "goody-two shoes" not only would people make fun of him, his own brother would act indifferent to him. Fred on the other hand was trouble down to his very last identical little chromosome. He loved his mother dearly, yet loved to watch her face as she saw yet another one of his ingenious pranks. One of the Weasleys only fears was to see their mother turn purple though. To watch her face light up like a red Christmas bulb was to be entertained for hours. To see her face grow that purplish color of a bruised eggplant was to cower under your sheets to shake off her death glare.

Percy Weasley was Mrs. Weasley's greatest pride and joy and this time of her life. Prefect, top in all his classes, and a good, solid future ahead of him…what kind of mother wouldn't be proud? He was even a shoo-in for Head Boy next year, but that was just a rumor. There isn't much to be said about dear old perfect, prefect Percy, as the twins so boldly called him. He is a strong, yet silent type whom mainly keeps to himself besides almost religiously posting his mother of the happenings at Hogwarts. Fred had George, Percy had Bill, and you would assume Ron had Charlie. But the Weasley boys are a bit harder to describe then one might think.

Ronald Weasley was everybody's favorite person. The least desired of the brothers, but he was the world's greatest sidekick. And he detested it. Soon he would be famous, not as Harry's friend, but as the ever admired Ron. All he cared about nowadays was to stay at the top. There was no way he would be chucked back into that nothingness now. No way at all.

Last and most importantly of all the Weasley boys, we have the valiant and strapping Charlie Weasley. Charlie was Ginny's only link to the almost twin-like love almost all her siblings had with someone in their family. Full of a need to protect this callow redheaded sister of his, Charlie always made everyone perfectly aware of their shared love. He was the one to read her bedtime stories until she was asleep, and check her closet and under her bed for the "bogeyman". With kisses and random cuddling, they used to express their feelings. Now they rarely saw each other, yet connected through letters and presents on birthdays. When Charlie first left for Hogwarts, Ginny was barely old enough to understand that her brother wouldn't be coming back that night or the following night. Yet she was still old enough to have tears streaming down her face as her chubby legs desperately tried to keep up with her brother's solemn face in the window of the departing train. Somewhere deep in her heart, she knew once he was gone, she would never be treated the same and she hated him for abandoning her like that. But she knew this was important to him so eventually, she stopped running and watched as the train as it disappeared around a corner.

Back to the current problem of the twin currently insulting Weasley women, all the boys surrounded that unfortunate twin. It may seem hard but it's quite easy to ambush someone when you have enough kids in your family to join a baseball league. A fearful look appeared on the girl's face only to be replaced by fury at the boy beside her a second later. Slytherins don't lose their cool. Malfoys don't lose their cool. That's the lesson Draco's father tried time and time again to force into his son. And that's the lesson Draco in turn pushed upon the Slytherins just so he wouldn't be alone. Draco was always alone. Ginny cringed at the brief flash of sorrow on his face before the usual cocky bastard smirk returned.

"What's your name, girl?" Percy asked suspiciously from right behind her. Draco had somehow inconspicuously snuck down the row and was now seated out of range of any spells that might be fired from a wand. Ginny hadn't even noticed him, and that scared her. If he could move so easily without even being detected by someone who was just watching him, who was to say he couldn't use that for Vol… You-know-who? The girl was oblivious that Draco had moved and smiled just as cockily as he would be if they surrounded him. She was obviously unaware that Malfoy would not be protecting her with force this time. Evilly smirking still at the Ravenclaw table, she gave her answer.

"Me name am Leslie Turnbom." Leslie at the Ravenclaw table stalked over enraged. They did essentially look alike. Maybe there was more to their resemblance than met the eye. Maybe it was what was on the inside that made Leslie quiver with thought they were once the same person and she could still have the evil that was her sister in her. Or she might not exist and might be the one screaming without a sound trying to get out.

"Don't pay attention to her. Please don't deem her as trustworthy, she's lying her black little heart out." Percy noticed her and flinched. Leslie stood bravely amid her sister's glare. So maybe the twins were precisely and in all aspects alike. From the smoldering eyes to the cramped size 5-½ shoes on size 6 feet there was nothing singular. That "little black heart" as Leslie's profusely exclaimed, was the thing that made them not the same. Only a heart as black as midnight made the two any different. Yet if it weren't there, nothing would be the same. "I'm Leslie Turnbom. This is my twin sister Lesley." Leslie pointed to her sister who was sulking at being forced to confess her true name. Stupid sisters.

Percy was just a little bit confused with Leslie and Lesley and this twin and that as obviously were the rest of Ginny's brothers. _God, they're slow._ "But…" Began Fred, nudging his twin to back him up. "But it's the same name." To this point, George viciously nodded his head. Leslie actually avoided their eyes as she tried to control her anger. She was fuming because the twins thought that these twins had the same name.

Twins are always the same, yet different. They will line up to convince someone of that. But no one seems to understand that although something is exactly the same in every aspect on the outside, it's only a façade used to cover up the fact part of their soul was missing. With twins, everyone either expects perfect matches, or clones, of one person, or they expect a yin and a yang. In this case, neither was true. They're just like two sisters, as different as two sisters would be, with a cruel satisfaction of one to separate them. With all of the twin stories out there, are any one of them true? Is there a mystical planet that's just for twins? And if there is, what if the twins don't want to go together. What if they're so different, they would rather jump down Niagara Falls in a bikini than spend years upon years in a special place where twins are only acknowledged because of their twinness. Can't twins be a different person than who everyone thinks they should be?

"No." Leslie icily whispered. "That Is Lez-lie. I am Less-lie. There's a difference, so if you think I am going to be called my brainless sister's name, you are dead wrong!" Lez-lie seemed pleased at having gotten her sister all riled up and smirked around the table. Maybe it was like a Slytherin sport. Draco was oddly enough back in his original seat and was peculiarly watching the Weasley's faces when Leslie had finished. No one else seemed to have noticed he had gone or he came back, so Ginny began to wonder if maybe Draco Malfoy was a figment of her overactive imagination. No. Figments can't hurt you.

He was starring up at Ginny's confused face, obviously trying to get her attention, but her gaze was transfixed on the heads of several thick, gray bruises that were peeking from beneath Malfoy's robe sleeve that nearly matched her own. Trailing her eye line, he quickly covered the showing skin with his robe, his eyes downcast. No matter how many times she snuck a peek at the- was he frightened? – Malfoy, he would not return her ever so subtle gawk. His hand even when it was all covered, you could still see the inflamed, red, monstrosity that something had made his arm become.

"I'm dating Draco." Lesley burst out with her news suddenly, for she saw the exchange between her new boyfriend and this Weasley. And she was actually scared. Scared of a Weasley! That was absolutely barmy! Her Mother would have been so livid if she could see her fright right then. She had always abhorred Mudbloods and those who favored them. That's why she was faithful to the Dark Lord. He was the only one with any sense around this God-forsaken kingdom. She had died being devoted to him, if you can even call the Dark Lord a him like he was an actual person, however much their father tried to hide it with lies of being Muggles. And if dieing in service to the Dark Lord was fine enough for her mother, by God as her witness, that's how she would perish. Ginny's eyes instantly were drawn to Lesley's. Was this girl telling the truth? Cautiously, if not smirking, Fred and George turned to each other and looked at the friction between their sister and this Slytherin. Time to smash the ice. They slapped their hands together and begun to sing.

"It's a small, small world full of smiles and tears. It's a small, small world full of hopes and fears…" Draco rested his hand on the table near Ginny for her to take and warm with her fire as he used to, way back when her smile could illuminate his world. A wave of guilt washed over Ginny as that hand reached out to grab her own. Why, oh why, did he still want her? She wouldn't even fancy herself if she were Draco Malfoy. Not after the way he had been treated by her. It wasn't just him being furious at her daring to break it off with the Slytherin sex god who could bag any lady he wanted to like that. She really was using him, and that fact was torturing Ginny from the inside out. Tom was doing this to her. Why? He already had control over her mind and body. If he told her to undress and dance the hula in front of Salazar Slytherin and himself, she would comply. If he told her to kill Harry as he slept, dreaming of being the hero evermore, she would comply. And that's what really terrified her.

Draco half-shut his eyes, arguing in his mind viciously about something before snatching Ginny's hand in his own and dragging her out the door.

The Great Hall was so silent, you could hear a pin drop all the way from Hagrid's hut. All eyes were trained on the mahogany door swinging open and closed before it just stopped shut. A few Gryffindors laughed unnervingly at Ron's face, which was currently swapping between looks of unadulterated loathing and utter frustration. Not that Ron was spoiled, he just…hated for people to do things he detested. Including Draco Malfoy. A roar erupted at the base of his throat, traveling at high speeds up through his mouth to deliver a most stunning sound to ever deafen all of the students and inhabitants of Hogwarts School. Kneading their ears, some students angrily gestured toward the furious Weasley but froze mid-glance at his face.

Ronald Weasley, although possessing the infamous Weasley temper did not lose his cool for nothing. Draco Malfoy, however, always had the ability to put him that one-degree above his boiling temperature. This day was no exception. Taking care to check to see if anyone was rebelling alongside him, Ron stalked out the great Hall door in the direction Ginny and Draco had previously exited with the rest of the Weasleys, save Percy who jumped in front to try to calm them all down but just ended up following, trailing behind. Lesley jumped down, shoved her twin into the bench and ran after them as well. In five minutes, the crowd went from poorly behaved troublemakers, to stunned leftovers, which watched their House's greatest leaders all burst out of the room one right after the other.

* * *

You see, they all had reasons for following Draco and Ginny instead of trust that annoying bugger that is the nagging voice in your head telling you to think about what you're doing. Needless to say, all their reasons were different, but they all did share one common theme. Lesley didn't want to be rammed down the social ladder that was of great importance to all Slytherin's residents, by the slaughter of her current beau, Draco. If that happened, Lesley would once again fade from everyone's mind view and back into the oblivion from whence she came.

The Weasley boys, on the other hand, did not want to be pushed down the social ladder of the Wizarding world any more than they already were due to their current financial and Mr. Weasley's supposed mental status by allowing one of their kin and blood mixing with a Malfoy. The two social ladders of The Wizarding world were some of the most important things to have your name on. For people like the Malfoys, Anyone who wasn't a sadistic pureblood didn't deserve to be on the list. And vice versa with the "good" social ladder. If Ginny mixed with Draco, Draco Malfoy would climb up to where the Weasleys were on the list and plunge them all to the very bottom before he and Ginny left the list together at last. And vice versa with the pureblood list. That doesn't even cover the fact that their innocent baby sister was cohering with a bloody Malfoy! They had to "protect her," of course!

* * *

By now, Ginny and Draco were hidden behind rows and rows of dusty, moldy volumes of literature deep in the center of the library. He kept making sudden turns, Ginny racing behind to keep up and to stop her arm from being cut off by a sudden turn right into a book shelf. As they delved deeper into the shadows, a fear caught Ginny's throat in her chest and her breathing became haggard ad scarce. What if her dream really was a premonition? But it was Draco and not Tom who did all those things to her. _Stop it Ginny! You know he would never do that!_ Tighter and tighter, he clutched her hand until her fingertips were turning blue but then finally, they stopped. "Draco- what is this all about-," Draco shushed her and got down on his knew, pulling her kneeling down right next to him.

"Ginny, I'm sorry." Now she knew why he needed to be this far into the library. No one could overhear them there. What was this? A Malfoy- a bloody pompous git- Malfoy was apologizing? That was too bizarre. "I made a mess of things. But you and I fit so well together. I am the only one who really knows you, Ginny. I'm sorry for reacting like that. But you and that bloody Potter! I can't stand it. Forgive me p-," Even in apologizing, he seemed to have to try to get the word out. Being a Malfoy sure did take its toll on you. "Please, Ginny. Forgive me." Ginny stalled from answering by tucking a loose platinum tuft of hair behind his ear.

A whistling in the next row interrupted them. Peeking through a space in the shelves where the old textbooks should be stored, they could see a rather contented Hermione most likely doing some extra work for some class instead of going to the match. But you could see she was prepared to make an appearance at the match, most likely for the benefit of Ron, by her Gryffindor scarf and binoculars. Seeing her obviously triggered something in Draco's mind, making him cover his mouth and gather his things to leave hurriedly. He urgently whispered to Ginny as he stood up, "If you love me or you forgive me, or maybe even both if I'm lucky, meet me in the Slytherin stands at the Quidditch pitch tonight at midnight." And so he left, slipping out the side entrance door when Hermione had her nose buried in a book.

* * *

**Draco's POV: **I found myself kneeling before her. She looked just as she did the first time I met her. All full of passion, and vigor, and… a little bit of terror. Well, she was defending Potter that day. How courageous of her to speak out against the Slytherin Prince! Especially when it's a recognized enemy of said such prince. I do love that nickname. I can really see myself as the prince. But really that wasn't what drew me to her. Her nerve, I mean. Lately, deep within of her, there's been something that is really… Slytherin.

Her eyes seem terrifed at the very thought of what I found myself telling her. So, she's petrified of me now? Ha. Draco, you just made a joke. That's not a usual occurrence for you. Well done. But now I was begging her clemency on my knees. Why? I don't want to trick her. I don't want to hurt her again. And I just _**Yes you do. You know you want to hurt her. She embarrassed you in front of God and who knows whom else. Hurt her. Go ahead. Go.** _

Was that I thinking just now? I don't think so… But that voice is right. I do want to hurt her. She hurt me and that bitch won't get away with it. I'll whisper little sweet nothings into her ear about love and forgiveness and meeting me later on. She'll fall for it. I know all about her type. She won't want to wound my self-respect. She won't want to stab me in the heart again. Ha ha ha. Well, little Ginny, That won't be the thing that you'll want to save from harm later tonight. After tonight, you will dance when I say dance. You will leap when I say leap.

I won't like having your obedience though, I suppose. You used to be quite a rebel. I liked that. I need someone to fight me for once. But I do feel the need to ensure your submission. Come on, Gingerbread. Give in to me. Or rebel. It'll be more enjoyable that way. You're playing right into my hands. Come on. Dance!

* * *

**Third Person**: Ginny watched him go with saddened eyes. She didn't want him to go, surprisingly enough. Out of all the inhabitants of this pitiful excuse for a world, one would think the last person Ginny would confide in would be Draco Malfoy. But she didn't need to confide in him. It was like he could interpret all of her thoughts and secrets just by looking at her. And he understood. Without her saying a solitary word, he understood exactly what she felt. For he had felt the same way… once upon a time.

There was a Quidditch game that day. Normally they would be held later on in the year, say the 23rd or even after, but Dumbledore had said the school needed to be diverted from worries of the attack and needed to laugh because of them. So the match was held this fine day. And Draco had better win. But if there was a match, didn't that mean it was Saturday? Matches had always been held on Saturdays. That was all that her brothers felt fit to mention in their letters home. Dear Mom, Quidditch, Quidditch, school… blah… and did I mention Quidditch? But if it was a Saturday, then Halloween was on a Wednesday like she had tried to tell Tom. And he lied to her. She had assumed it before…. but couldn't believe it until that proof..

Hermione frolicked into the row, prancing with her new book centimeters from the bridge of her nose. Ginny had been silently contemplating and comprehending all that had happened. It's extremely hard for an eleven-year-old to understand so much when it's all heaved at you at once. She had to deal with the facts of her on/off relationship with Draco, visions overpowering her mind with flashbacks of being pressed into the floor by Tom's heaving body every chance they got, her body being slowly taken over by this force that came to her in her dreams and got stronger through her fear, and her fear for Tom about all the Chamber nonsense. It couldn't be real, that Chamber. Could it?

Seeing the girl lost in thought, Hermione hesitated, wondering whether or not she should stir her. Perhaps Ginny would like to go to the match. Well, everyone knew she did. Harry was at the match. And anywhere Harry went, was sufficient for Ginny. But, against her morale judgment, Hermione left the row as though she had never been in it. No one was going to stalk her boyfriend and carry on with it. Not really her boyfriend, if you want to get technical. But did Ginny ever have even a slight possibility with THE Harry Potter? Ha! I believe not.

Mere minutes later, the library even more deserted than before, Ron burst in, searching infuriated for his sister. Peeved at having to look for her this close to a Quidditch game, stormed into the row, grabbed Ginny by the wrist, and pulled her up. Ginny winced as her arm took hold of a reddish color and looked up at her brother, looking every bit as small as she felt. He towered over her easily and if he tightened his grip on her wrist, it would easily snap the brittle bone.

"Where the hell have you been?" He asked, raising his voice to just over the rate at which eardrums begin to lose their sound-catching capabilities. Being jostled back out of her own little world by his sudden inclination to check up on his baby sister was sweet, but Ginny knew that wasn't the case.

"What difference does it make? I'm here now and that's all that matters to you. Now go join your dense Gryffindors pals and go root for the team in your brainless sport because now at least you can write to Momma and tell her what a complete bitch I'm being. Is that what you're going to do?" That's what she wanted to say… What she said was, "What does it matter? I'm here now…" and then her voice died out. Ron clutched onto her arm, lecturing her the whole way out of the library about the "one thing boys want".

* * *

They were rushing towards the game when Ron finally let go of her. Apparently taking a prisoner required too much effort for ickle little Ronniekins. He raced across the yard and up the stairs faster than Ginny's eyes could follow. Rubbing her arm to try and get the red down, Ginny glared at the flaming hair she could randomly spot through the windows around the sections leading up the stairs. Draco had better win this match, she thought to herself as she followed her brother's path. Occasionally looking out the windows, she made her way up the stairs, stopping at one just in time to see Harry's arm smash against the Bludger. A collective groan mingled with Ginny's sharp intake of breath. But wait…. He grabbed the snitch! Right out from above Draco's head and Harry got it! Damn it!

Harry drifted down to the ground in an almost angelic pose and Ginny was trapped against the wall by the avalanche of people running to see if the savior of the entire Wizarding world was all right. By the time she got down to the field, a crowd surrounded Harry, each tight pressed against everyone else. Luckily for her, Ginny had grown up the smallest in a family of boys. Whenever her mother wasn't yelling at her to come and learn to be a lady, or yelling at her to act like one, she and her brothers would play in the woods surrounding the Burrow. She crawled under legs, skirts, hanging jumpers, and more until she reached the center.

Like on a sacrificial table, Harry lay with a good foot from everyone else. After locking eyes briefly with him, a muttering from above her made her look to see who was speaking in the dead silent stadium. All she saw was a flash of pearly teeth and a blinding light that caused her to pinch herself to see if she was dead or not as an incantation was cast. That was when the crowd all gasped in unison as felt the need to push her to the ground so they could see better while they oohd and ahhd above her. She also heard Colin go through what sounded like thirty rolls of film.

The crowd dispersed as Harry was carried away to the Hospital Wing with more than just the Gryffindors following. With a grunt, Colin helped pull Ginny off the ground. He uneasily shifted his weight from foot to foot as Ginny dusted herself off. She took his arm. "Thank you, Col." She said, smiling. He didn't return the glee. "C'mon Col. Talk to me. I said I was sorry earlier. Colin, I'm sorry. I really am. I never meant to call you a freak." At these harmful words, he bowed his head and made sure no one else was around. Ginny saw this and for his benefit, lowered her voice to a whisper only he could hear. "It wasn't fair of me. I didn't- wouldn't- couldn't give you another chance after you told me. I'm sorry." Still, after all of that, Colin wouldn't meet her gaze. Clenching her hands, Ginny plastered a smile to her face. How she was beginning to get a little short with all of these... These idiots who wouldn't forgive her or wanted her forgiveness! There was only so much a person could deal with in a day! "Look at me! I'm apologizing to you." As his answer he just shuffled his feet. "I'm sorry! How many times do I have to say it?" Ginny felt herself cry but couldn't stop as she grabbed both of Colin's arms and pulled him in for a hug. Shocked, he awkwardly patted her on the shoulder until she calmed down.

Then he positioned her to where they were staring at each other. Tears still leaked out of her eyes but this time much slower and less each time. "Until you mean it." Ginny opened her mouth to argue, but stopped, nodding in submission. "So what do you want this time, Ginny." Taking a breath to continue her previous argument, he held his hand up. "Another picture of Harry spark your interest? Go ahead. Take 'em all! He'll never feel the slightest twinge of any emotion but annoyance for me while you actually have a chance." He flung all his newly developed pictures on the ground and walked off in a huff to the school. Ginny bent down, gathered all the pictures, salvaging some from the muddy torture they were getting and was met with smiles of gratitude from the myriad of Harry's watching her, and then running after Colin.

"Colin, wait!" Annoyance etched into his face, he stopped and faced Ginny who shoved the mound of pictures into his hands. "I didn't come here to steal your pictures or to call you names. I came to apologize, and I mean it. I am sorry. So sorry, you wouldn't even know. Harry is going to be in the Hospital Wing all night. I heard that much. This is your chance. Go to him tonight and ask him… out. If he says no, I will pretend to go out with you- to have gone out with you since Halloween. What's the worst that could happen? You'll at least never wonder what if…"

Colin sniffed. "He could tell." He whispered. "He could tell everybody. They'll think I'm more of a freak than I already am. No. Ginny, please, just let me go." Ginny blocked the outlet with her arm, trapping Colin as she had been trapped many a time.

"Listen, Col. I wont let anyone, especially him, say those things about you. If he says no, which he won't, I told you I would pretend to go out with you. He's sick. Probably delirious from all the pain he's in… and no one is going to believe him. This is your _chance_, Colin Creevey. I am **not** going to let you pass it up." He was silent for a long time.

Slowly, turning, he asked in a small voice, "Do you really think I have a chance?" Ginny smiled through her tears. She nodded feverishly. Colin still looked unconvinced. "Really?"

"I know you do, Colin." After contemplating in his head, he nodded. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek before he had a chance to run. Smiling back at her, but still having a reproachful look, Colin pushed her away and walked off, waving.

As soon as he left, Draco appeared behind Ginny. "Midnight tonight." He whispered airily in her ear, causing her to tremble. "Be there, princess." When she turned to face him, all that was there was the meadow of grass blowing together in the wind.

* * *

Colin was crouched over in a corner chair crying when Ginny came into Gryffindor tower. Hurrying over to him, she could already hear his whimpers. There were red marks glowing in some sorts against his drained, blood-less cheeks. With all these marks plus the dull, purplish scrapes that covered half his face, the aspect of where these injuries came from was evident. The beginnings of several bruises were already staring to show beneath the red. "What happened?" She inquired, holding a damp handkerchief to the torn skin underneath his eye. "You can tell me." She added when he shirked away from her contact.

"It was… Malfoy. Him and his gang of cronies cornered me on my way back to the castle. They heard you talking… or were jealous of how you acted towards me. I don't know. They called me a…" His voice cracked as he tried to push the wretched word from his lips. "Freak." Ginny embraced the shivering boy. "I don't want to tell Harry, Ginny. With two gangs of people so different, no one will think that it's not true." Colin avoided her eyes. All she did was shush him and squeezed tighter.

"You have to." He just blinked away tears and picked up some grapes from the table beside them to give to Harry. She knew Harry hated Hospital Wing food and this would be just what he needed. Stuttering, Colin grabbed Ginny's attention once again.

"B-bu-but why?" That surprised Ginny. Why did she want Colin to go to Harry? She certainly didn't want them to get together. But he needed to go to Harry tonight. Something told her it was important. And at least now he didn't hate her anymore. But Harry would. But she loved Harry. No she didn't. But yes she did. Why were her two inner muses arguing like this? Why?

Handing him his camera for the journey, she shook her head. "I don't know. Why do you feel this way for… for a boy?" That got through to him.

"I don't know." With a final fleeting look, he snuck out the portrait hole. Ginny watched him go before slumping down into his chair. A familiar feeling of darkness overcame her and she didn't know what happened next.

* * *

When she awoke, the moon was high in the sky. 'Oh, no. Draco is going to be so mad.' It was 11:49. She was supposed to meet Draco in the Slytherin stands in eleven minutes. It was highly improbable to get all the way from the tower to the stands in eleven minutes. Ginny checked the clock uneasily. One minutes was lost. Deciding it would be better to be a little late than have Draco out for her blood the next day if she totally blew him off, she broke out and ran, taking steps four at a time.

* * *

Arriving out of breath at the top of the Slytherin stands, Ginny lifted her head to see the large clock hanging from the school that you could see for a mile and hear the chimes for miles around. 11:58. She made it. Now, where was Draco? He didn't seem the type to be late for his own appointments. "To answer your thoughts, I am right here." Ginny turned to peer into the shadows. Draco was lounging about over two chairs watching her. He had something he was twisting about and playing with in his hands, but Ginny couldn't see what it was. "But why are you here, I may ask? Don't you know better, you spoiled brat?" Ginny took a step back, feeling the cold, metal protective rail on her back.

"Didn't… you tell me to be here, Draco?" Draco stood up like he was drunk on something and started to move towards her. She stiffened as he pulled her so his hands were around her collarbone from the back. He played with her hair and lightly laughed into her ear.

"You should know better than to trust me." Ginny breathed deeply, not able to see what he would do next. Seeing her tense, Draco hurriedly put his wand to her temple.

"_Stupefy_!"


	5. Secrets, Lies, and Deceit

Man is not one but two,  
He is evil and good  
And he walks the fine line  
We'd all cross if we could  
And he's waiting  
To break through the façade.

**Jekyll Hyde. Façade.

* * *

**

**Stained with Ink**

* * *

Ginny awoke groggy, unable to move any of her adjoining limbs for they were so heavy it was like she had metal bars attached to her body instead of flesh, blood, and bone. Bounds of rope tied her to a wooden chair, her legs to the chair legs, her arms to her side, and her torso to the spine of the chair. She had been thinking that her body parts had been replaced with bars until she realized this. A long, rough piece of cloth was stuffed awkwardly into her mouth, stifling any sound she might think to make if her brain were moving just a little faster. The world was still swaying side to side, as her eyes would not focus, like she was drugged. "Ahhhh, you're awake. I was wondering if perhaps you were dead." Draco removed her mouth gag and tilted her chair with his body so it was standing on its hind legs with only his hands on the spine behind her head to balance it.

"I just have some questions for you." Like in all those police movies, he shone his lit wand into her eyes, causing her to wince. Why did she feel like she was drugged or intoxicated or something? She had never even touched anything inappropriate like that in her life. She wobbled her head, trying to catch herself before the world tipped so far to the side that she was flung across the room. "Who gave you the roses, Gingerbread?" He questioned intensely quivering with a sort of pent up rage. She was actually surprised at how unimportant the question was. Besides already telling him the answer, who in their right mind would care about the sender of roses to an ill little girl. But then again, whoever said Draco was in his right mind?

"Why does it matter, Draco? But I have told you before, and here is my exact same answer as before. Those roses were a gift from Harry." His nails dug into the softness of his palms so deep, blood dripped down creating a puddle on the floor. "But the twins bought them for me." Ginny quickly added, seeing his face growing red in fury. Already fearing her life, Ginny tried as best she could to back up without toppling the chair and her over. And she had every right to fear for her life. With every move she made, Draco seethed deeper in his anger, wanting to rip apart everything, including every particle of dust that was attached to her body. And if she answered one question wrong, he would have every right in his mind to torture the smile off this bitch's face. Pacing around her chair in a circle, Draco prepared to deliver his next question.

"What was the real reason you broke up with me?" Ginny bit her lip. Only in their relationship could a question be answered by another question. But this question really hit her in the heart. She had been forced to break up with him, because she was actually starting to believe that if they stayed together, they could love each other. But Malfoys don't love. If he did love her, it'd be a sign of the apocalypse. The same as with Tom. But she had already endured enough heartache because of this one decision Tom pressured her to make without having to recant it to the person she broke it off with. But then again, this was why Draco was fuming with every angry emotion, thought, and feeling known to man and some continents of fairies. Malfoys did not take rejection easily.

"M…My brothers. They're everywhere. I couldn't keep-…" Draco slapped her, slinging her head onto her shoulder. On her cheek, a radiant ruby mark was fast appearing. In a moment of true and utter shock, Ginny narrowed her eyes and tried to slap back. Draco didn't see any humor in what she had just tried to do. Swiftly walking to the other side of the room, he fished through one of his drawers, nearly turning the whole thing upside down, and held up a silvery glowing bottle.

The potion inside was clear with small bubbles sporadically drifting to the top and popping with a hiss. "Do you know what this is, Gingerbread?" Ginny fearfully shook her head, not for one instant taking her eyes off the bottle. Draco seemed to enjoy watching her fear him. Seems a lot of Slytherins like that feeling. "This is Veritaserum. It is a very powerful truth potion, love. Three drops and you won't just be telling me what I ask to know, but also your innermost secrets. You can't even imagine the strength it has. But, every good thing comes with… certain obligations. There is an amendment in the Wizengamot Charter of Rights that unless under "strict ministry guidelines"." He spat out the phrase through his teeth, mocking all who agreed to these guidelines. "We wizards are forbidden from the buying, selling, or participating in the act of administering Veritaserum."

Ginny listened intently, trying to strategize a way out. Stalling would work. The longer she kept him talking, the more chance someone would come save her. "So why aren't Truth Potions used in wizards' criminal trials?" Draco paused, racking his brain for the answer.

"For one, they are fundamentally flawed, guaranteeing that one will tell his-or-her-own version of the truth instead of the actual truth. Secondly, they can easily be abused by those corrupted by power. Thirdly, they are in violation of the accused rights, which are possibly spelled out in the Wizengamot Charter of Rights. Magic, clearly, can't solve everything. I for one hate rules and have mind to abolish all of them. So why don't you just take the potion." He tried to force a few drops into her mouth, but she clamped her lips tightly together and even spit it out when he succeeded. Frustrated, he threw the glass bottle across the room where it smashed against the wall, hissing loud as ever when it seeped into the stone. Draco looked like he was about to cry, not over the lost potion, but in the knowledge of what he had tried to do. And his Father would not be sympathetic when he found out he had stolen his Veritaserum and had caused it to drip out of sight.

"Please, Gingerbread." He chocked out, his knees curled up to him. It made him look like the child he really was. "Please, just tell me. I deserve to know.

Tears formed at her eyes. He looked so lost and helpless like a small child, or a lost puppy. He was right though. He did deserve to know. And eventually there would be a need for him to know. _Don't fear him. He knows you fear him. Don't show it. Please, God, don't let me show him my fear._ "T…T…Tom. I broke up with you because of Tom." Immediately afterward, Ginny kicked herself for letting horror show in her voice. After stuttering like that, she could tell Draco would be happy. He would know the answer to his question and knew he made her afraid. He held a look of sheer fury and confusion.

"Who the bloody blazes is Tom!"

McGonagall's words echoed through Draco's mouth. Ginny sat as straight as was possible with her bonds and boldly was face to face with the angry Malfoy heir. "Tom! Tom Riddle." A brief look of wonderment shown in his eyes with the extra feeling of recognition when he heard this name. Suddenly he felt a twinge of fear for the true Slytherin that had attracted him to Virginia Weasley. "I told Tom I was starting to feel for you. And Tom didn't like the idea of that. No offence meant, Draco, he thinks you're a very important part of this plan, whatever that is…" And his Father had told him he would have a busy time this year. Father, what did you do? "But Tom never liked sharing his toys. Not that I'm just a toy to him, Draco; I'm his princess. Oh, listen to me blathering on and on like a crazed woman." Still he kept his eyes blank. "You still don't know who he is. Right. Well, Tom is this boy- well; actually he's more like a man. But he is-"

Severus Snape chose that precise moment to burst into Draco's private rooms and cut Ginny's explanation short. Quickly, Draco stepped in front of Ginny, shielding her from the wrath of Snape. To add to the fact that Draco didn't want to get caught holding a prisoner in his rooms, but also, it was his private rooms, the prisoner was of the opposite sex, not to mention in another house, it was after hours, and she was tied up. If Draco had walked in on a fellow Slytherin in this position, he would've thought it to be great fun and joined in the game.

Snape strode over to his student's side impatiently, not giving Ginny a second look. He whispered a few words in Draco's ear and Draco paled, although in the light of the dungeon, it made him look like a ghost instead of a scared little boy.

"F…F…F…Father?" He stuttered, clenching onto Ginny's hands, causing her to bite her lip so not to scream. Snape's bottomless eyes filled with pity at this unfortunate ward of his. He bade Draco to follow. "Wait! What's Father doing here? Wasn't the howler enough? The Hufflepuffs claimed to have heard it and I opened it right here!" Ginny used the moments of distraction where neither of the two Slytherins were touching or watching her to try and bite through her bonds. _Get Snape's attention… Get it… make him see you…make him help you._

Draco threw her a frightened look, causing her to freeze. Draco? Scared? Impossible! Malfoys show indifference, not any feelings… With a snap of those noble fingers, Ginny's bonds were released and she stood wearily, examining the damage with a keen eye. Snape had led Draco away, much to his own disapproval. Skin hung off of her wrists where she had struggled so passionately earlier, to try to intimidate Draco with her fearlessness. A little scared kitten trying to intimidate a lion… Her wrists were pink, and puffy, making Ginny sick as she looked upon them.

* * *

Careful to not attract the attention of any wandering Slytherins or Prefects, she lightly pushed open the portrait to Draco's quarters, and raced amongst the shadows until she got to the Entrance Hall. At each column, she saw an opportunity to hide, but the trouble was the distance between each one. Prefects on their rounds hung around the Entrance Hall, as it was the center of the entire castle. But tonight, it was strangely empty and ghastly silent, making her breaths surround her and mimic her mercilessly. Each time she stopped at a column, she'd cautiously check all around her for others before going on her way. There was one fault though…

Every time she stopped, a series of quick footsteps would be echoing two seconds after her own echoes had stopped. Someone was following her… _No, she thought. It's just a late echo. It's just your imagination… God, I hope I'm right._ And so she presumed it was her own footsteps following her and went on her way until the footsteps were closer and louder than ever before, never even stopping when she did. Fear tightened its grip on her and she broke loose and scampered as fast as she could to the labyrinth of hallways breaking off from this Hall. Enough to confuse any followers of where she was going… But she might have been just a tad too loud.

"Weasley!" Snape stood in the corridor ahead of her, in the doorway of the only open door. Ginny stopped dead in her tracks at his drawling voice. She had seen inside his office once before, to receive her detention for not paying attention in class. That detention was to clean every barrel in his stores of the pickled squid innards without magic and with only one other helper, a fellow detention victim. Draco Malfoy. Ginny had had dreams following that detention of Tom smiling at the vision of them both together during that detention. "Excellent." He chuckled. "On to Plan Two." What "Plan One" was she never dreamed so far as to find out.

"Don't just stand there, you trouble-making Gryffindor. Get in here!" He pointed inside the dreadful office he occupied, turned and went in himself, trusting a Gryffindor to not be sneaky enough as to run. As Ginny crept in behind him, she spotted two sets of platinum blonde heads. The Malfoys were here as well. Draco sat abnormally strait with his Fathers arm draped over his frail body. Draco was just as trapped as Ginny was. His head turned slightly to see who entered and eyes widened in fear as he saw Ginny. Lucius Malfoy sensed his son's panic, and even without turning so much as a hair stem, he could tell whom it was that had entered behind the infamous potions Master. Trailing his arm away from his son, Lucius stood in respect to the company of a female, even if it was a Weasley.

"Ahhhh, young Miss Weasley. So nice to see you again. The pleasure is all yours, I'm sure." Lucius spoke proudly, with his head raised high and positioned against the light like a Magnificent God. Seeing Ginny blankly stare at him so, He lost some of his splendor and Godliness and was ever so humble again. A stony expression came over his face when he spotted his son mouthing the words 'I'm sorry' over and over. He raised a hand to strike him but held it as Draco crouched against himself. An eerily sound then came from his lips and it took Ginny awhile to realize he was laughing. So few times had seen Lucius Malfoy happy. He was just an item to ogle at for his beauty the rest of the time.

"Young Draco here," Lucius slapped his son on the shoulder as he talked. "Has told me what exactly is going on at Hogwarts. This includes some very interesting mishaps you two have been having. So…" He chuckled that eerie laugh again, but this time, you could tell he was nervous. Ginny wondered how he acted in the presence of the Dark lord… "What is the basis of you two's little… relationship? Draco?" Snape had settled himself in his chair quite comfortably by now. He knew the extent of their relationship. He had been in the corridor that day. And he also knew the reasoning behind Lucius's questions. If things got to a bad section of questions, Snape was refereeing just so he could jump in.

"Mr. Malfoy," Snape began, breaking into the interrogation for just a moment. Both Lucius and Draco looked up. "Lucius, I don't think it wise to ask these things with Miss Weasley right here. Right here, able to repeat everything she understands of tonight…" Snape's eyes were wide as he tried to convey his message to Lucius with them. "And she comprehends more than anyone would believe." Lucius's face was livid as he sensed the always-unwanted Potions professor knew more on this subject than he himself did. "But what I will do with Miss Weasley here is escort her back to her common room. And deduct fifty points from Gryffindor." Ginny looked up in shock and gave Snape her best puppy-dog face that always convinced her brothers to give her in to her way. "I'm sorry, Miss Weasley, but rules are rules. You were wandering about after curfew and I distinctly remember seeing you in Draco's rooms." Lucius threw his son a withering look at this news.

Draco looked up at the adults in the room. An expression no one could read was on his face. Whether in fear, courage, anger, or just plain Gryffindor loyalty, Draco stood up, ready to defend one of the few things he actually cherished in life. Ginny. "It was—." He faltered slightly under the cool, piercing look his father continued to give him before he gulped and continued. "I was bringing her to the Hospital Wing. Look at her wrists! She needed my help!" Lucius swiveled around, hardening his stare on his son's neck. How he would love to see that flawless piece of his son erupt with the feeling of screams pushed down and up his throat as Lucius held a wand pointed at his son evilly! He dared Draco with his eyes to go on. Draco faltered again, looking between Ginny back to his father. A most thankful look was covering Ginny's face, making the decision for him. He continued. "It's my fault she's out so late, sir. Don't punish her. Punish me!" He had to scream at the last part for two reasons. One, to show his father that he did not control him. And two, because if he didn't get the words out quickly, they would remain lodged in his body forever.

Lucius had been visibly fighting with himself for control when Draco yelled these words, causing him to snap. "Oh, don't worry, boy. I will." Draco back up, trying to run out the door and far, far away, but his Father was faster and really, really, **_really_** wanted to hurt his child. His hands grabbed at the robe Draco wore and with a firm grip, Lucius was able to pull his son behind as he dragged him into one of Snape's private ingredient closets. Snape closed his eyes and turned away, pretending not to notice. This must happen often enough. Ginny however, couldn't stand it. She scrunched her eyes shut and used her hands to cover her ears to block out the sound. But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't block out the ear-splitting screaming.

* * *

A minute later, Lucius came out of the closet, tired, but still calm and colleted as ever. His cheeks were flushed as he twisted his cane back into his robe. For someone who had just savagely beaten their only child and heir to their vast fortune and collection of Dark books and artifacts, he looked remarkably calm. It was almost as if he had just beaten a racehorse with a whip trying to get it to go faster instead of beating his son with a wooden cane in the shadowy depths of a storage closet to get him to shut up.

It was very frightening to see him not show a twinge of remorse or a flicker or penitence. Everyone had always hated Draco. He had been the snobby, spoiled brat that was an heir to mountains of gold. And that's why he never knew everybody hated him. And sure, most of the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs, had all envisioned seeing the ever-arrogant Malfoy in such a vulnerable and blackmail able position. But Ginny watched the closed door with trembling hands. And what was most frightening of all was that she couldn't even hear him anymore.

"So…" Lucius spoke, ruffling Ginny's hair on the path back to his chair facing Snape. "It will be quite some time still until He comes back, but I have heard the plan is well in motion. However I much dislike it, Plan Two is also completed, so He should be back before summer at least. But I am betting he won't receive full power until Mid-way through June." Snape listened intently to all of this, occasionally giving Ginny 'The Look.'

Everyone knows 'The Look'. It's the one teachers or parents give when they are speaking about something you shouldn't be hearing. This made Ginny curious. Who was this mysterious He? "You couldn't have better timing, Miss Weasley." _Me? What do I have to do with anything? Who is this He?_ She was very confused, as you can probably tell. _Why would Mr. Malfoy talk to me anyway? Wasn't Snape telling me that I shouldn't be listening?_ "He'll be here soon enough."

There was a shudder on the doorknob of the door leading into the storage closet. Lucius saw this and immediately chuckled. "Of course, we all forgot about Draco." He quietly projected his eerie laugh while Snape and Ginny exchanged looks. Of course they hadn't forgotten Draco. Ginny was nearly crying with worry, and even Snape, the heart-less, cold, bastard he is, was even twitching slightly in his chair, wanting to go see what the fate of his ward was. "Come out this instant, son. There's nothing to be afraid of, boy. We need to talk. The four of us need to talk." This wasn't right. Draco's mind screamed out to him. There were never four. Always three. Three… Who was the- Ginny! She was still out there. She was still under the careful eyes of Lucius. And that was never good. He couldn't have weaknesses like her. He still remembered Bianca… No! Shut up Draco! Shut up!

Plastering on a mask of indifference, as his Father would want to see, Draco obeyed his orders and opened the door. Ginny had to work to contain the scream that tore at her lips to get out. Draco was limping towards them, his left leg turned around backwards, trying to act as normal as ever. While his Father seemed to have mastered the art, Draco still had a few lessons to go. Ginny shook her head sadly as Draco tried to tell who was who through the swollen skin around his eyes that seemed to darken every time you looked at it. Beaten… The poor boy! All the proof they needed to send Lucius to Azkaban for up to fifteen months was standing before the, and yet, however much Snape cared about this boy, he did nothing. He merely averted his eyes from the sight.

"Mr. Malfoy…" Ginny whispered as small as she could be. Draco's head turned to where her voice had come from and this time it was he who shook his head, warning her of…something. But what? No! She wasn't going to let Draco suffer like this! Lucius also turned to her, his eyebrows raised so high; they were almost hidden behind his hairline. Ginny hesitated, looked down at her flinching hands as she summoned all her courage. _Why did I have to be in Gryffindor? Why do I have to be so stupid? Why don't I have any damn courage if I'm in Gryffindor?_ "Mr. Malfoy, I needn't go to the Hospital Wing. My skin will heal in time, but look at your son! Draco needs medical help." Lucius looked his son up and down before turning back to Ginny and smiling slightly, not making any motion to take his son to the Hospital Wing. Can't you see he's in pain!"

Lucius watched her for a minute. When she had had her outburst, he brown doll eyes were glowing with passion. Now she had the deer-in-the-headlights look on her face. S_tupid. Idiot! You saw what he did to his son. And everyone always says he loves his son! You're not even family! And he hates your family! Stupid! Idiot…_ These were the kind of thoughts jumping around Ginny's brain. "What do you mean? There is nothing wrong with my son, little girl." They both turned to face Draco who tried to flash his usual smarmy, toothy grin. This time, Ginny couldn't contain her shriek when she saw, instead of his perfect row of teeth, the two front teeth missing with roots dangling delicately and all his other teeth drenched in blood. Lucius sighed, realizing his son might actually need a medi-witch. Ginny turned to Snape for a second voice to add to her own. He had a revolted look on his face as he looked upon this young Malfoy. She was just about to ask Snape to speak up for her again, when Lucius asked him a question. "Snape, inform this student of yours that there is nothing wrong with my son whatsoever." All was silent as Snape gave his former classmate a reproachful glare. But then he shook his head and busied himself with some paperwork before Ginny could cry out to him.

Draco sat in a chair at the end of Snape's desk. Before him, there was a magnificently shaped goblet full of something. The goblet hissed as the liquid in it bubbled noisily. _Wait… that can't be a coincidence._ It was like the liquid was burning the goblet away.

* * *

"_It is a very powerful truth potion, love. Three drops and you won't just be telling me what I ask to know, but also your innermost secrets. You can't even imagine the strength it has."

* * *

_

_What is the name of that potion?_

"Son, I trust you know what this is. I will not lie to you, my son. So just take the damn potion." Realizing what it was, Snape began to protest but was silenced by Lucius turning his wand threateningly at his throat.

Draco took the goblet in his hand and swallowed all of the brimming liquid, making a face of pain as it burned down his throat. His eyes slightly glazed over and his breath shortened. Thus were the early effects of Veritaserum. "What is your wish, Father?" His voice was a monotone. Almost zombie-like… Lucius shook his head in merriment and lay a hand on his son's forearm.

"Draco, my dear son, I need to know if you will answer me truthfully. I'm going to ask you something from when you were very young. If you didn't have to, I know you'd say you didn't remember. But I know you do. Draco, what did Bianca…" He trailed off, looking at Ginny suspiciously before leaning in and whispering in his son's ear. Draco never changed his expression but Ginny could see the real Draco behind the potion. She could see his feelings, his aura and his memories. With a tremble, a memory burst into her head. So this was what Draco was thinking…

* * *

_It was early autumn, when the leaves are just starting to fall and dance around you. There was a small girl, probably five or six, and she was running and laughing. Ginny could hear Draco do the same, although she could not see him. The girl had midnight black hair that fell to her waist in straight waves. Her eyes were bright and purple. They were happy. Then the scene changed. A Dungeon cell… Draco's arm was chained to the wall, and was slashed and bleeding profusely. She could hear the little girl screaming. All of a sudden, there was a click in the lock, and Draco's arm fell to his waist heavily. A man in black stood behind him and pushed him towards the screaming. Draco turned into a cell to see his Father on top of the young girl. Her eyes weren't so bright anymore, and they were being swamped with salt tears. Her hair was messily strewn everywhere. Lucius seemed to enjoy raping the poor child. Draco screamed and tried to run to her side, but the man behind him in black forced him to watch. They couldn't have been older than six… After Lucius had satisfied his pedophilic urges, the girl lay groaning on the ground, reaching out for Draco. Lucius ordered Draco to repeat what he saw him do to her. With her eyes wide, the girl watched with bated breath as Draco plainly refused. Lucius sighed and pointed his wand at the girl who was now crying for Draco to hold her and make Him go away. "Remember, no weaknesses, boy." The girl never got Draco to hold her because of what Lucius did next. "**Avada Kedavra**!"

* * *

_

Draco seemed to breath the name. "Bianca…" Then he went back to the normal doped-up defendant. But inside, Ginny could see he was seething in white anger. "She did nothing wrong. You raped her. You called her my weakness."

"And she was." Lucius spoke sadly like he was explaining to a four-year-old that it was just his pet hamster's time to die. "You will thank me one day, Draco, for ridding you of her. There will never again be a Bianca there to distract you." Ginny could tell the potion would soon wear off and Draco was getting more and more like himself. Shaking the entire time, his arm lifted and tried to choke Lucius before it fell and went limp. Lucius watched with a smile. "All right then, before we run out of time, what is the basis of your relationship with Miss Weasly?" Ginny could feel her face burning as Lucius looked at her like he would regard her as a trailer whore.

Draco tried to smile. "She's my Bianca." Lucius raised his hand, swinging it against Draco's face as hard as he could manage. Draco fell from the chair into a heap on the floor, coughing up a puddle of blood. "She's… she's… kind and gentle. We were sort of an item for about two weeks. Then she dumped _me_. She dumped me for a guy named Tom." He spit out a ball of blood. "Tom Riddle." Lucius half-smiled when he now looked at Ginny. It wasn't a sincere smile, but a gloating one. "I was so pissed at her, for she lied to me about the reason we were breaking up, so earlier today, I stupefied her, tied her up and tortured her. I tried to use your Veritaserum as well, but she wouldn't take it." Draco finished with a murmur. Now Lucius looked at his son with... was it pride?

Snape took a moment of hesitation to think before he jumped in to both Draco's and Ginny's rescue. "Lucius…I don't think it very wise to say such things with Miss Weasley here listening. Tell you what; I am going to take her up to her rooms and… er… leave her there with Minerva. How about that?" Lucius smiled through the ever-increasing desire to snap this girl's spinal cord in half. Slowly, he nodded, his fingers clenched into the chair arms so tightly that his knuckles were white. Ginny's eyes were wide as she looked upon him now. He didn't look normal, as he was obviously trying to be, just insane.

Quickly, before Lucius could change his mind and demand the girl to be seated again, Snape ushered Ginny out. As soon as the door was shut behind them, Ginny could hear scrambling in the room. No matter the distance Snape tried to put between them, she could still hear what Lucius was doing…

And by the sound of Draco screaming, you could tell Lucius wasn't too pleased with his son's answer.

* * *

Ginny had tears silently streaming down her face as Snape, uncomfortable to see a woman cry, led her through the many corridors to reach the Gryffindor Tower. After a while, he stopped her, handing her a handkerchief for her tears, and they kept on walking. "Listen Weasley, I want you to just forget everything you saw and heard. Just go back to your common room, go to sleep, and try to forget." The rest of the walk, they were silent, Ginny staring at her feet while images of what Lucius had subjected Draco to all these years swarmed through her head. The Fat Lady saw them coming and automatically opened her portrait.

The first thing Ginny noticed when she entered the common room adorned in red and gold, was that it was near dawn, with pink and orange streaks lighting the lower east sky. The second thing she noticed was that her roommate Blaine was asleep in her brothers' Quidditch captain's arms. Oliver Wood… this was the guy who was on every single first, second, and third year's notebooks all scribbled around in hearts. And he had Ginny's first-year roommate in his arms asleep, with no one else near. She was sleeping with her head resting on the chair and her dirty blonde hair spread over his chest. Seeing Ginny and her face of shock, Oliver stood with his hands supporting Blaine's back and beneath her legs as he started to walk towards Ginny. She stepped backwards fast to get away from the both of them and she fell straight back into Snape.

Snape swore at the force of the impact, but he didn't fall over. Ginny, being less that seventy pounds and losing that mysteriously, couldn't even sit in a Muggle car without sitting in a booster seat, let alone knock someone over. He seemed a bit miffed though at having a student hurled at him, so he roughly pushed her back up into the portrait hole.

"Get off me, Weasley. I am not here to protect you." Her eyes downcast, Ginny nodded solemnly. Snape paused before crouching down, his hands on his knees, to be face to face with her. "You've been through so much tonight, Weasley. And I can surely tell you will be going through so much more this year. So, maybe you'd appreciate advice from a greasy git." This brought her eyes, wide, back up to his. "Oh, yes I know what all of my students call me." A bitter laugh filled his mouth, sneaking out. "But, just don't listen, trust or…" He forced himself to continue. "Or love Draco Malfoy." How did he know? Why shouldn't she? "He's not… himself. The worst thing you could possibly do to yourself at this time is to love him." And with that, the portrait closed its entryway, leaving Ginny staring at an empty wall, her hands feeling the cool paint beneath her unblemished fingers.

* * *

Oliver uneasily held Blaine still as Ginny tiptoed over. You could tell by the way Blaine so easily and perfectly fit into his arms that they were more than just friends. He seemed to realize how suspicious this would look, but he would keep his pride. And he would keep both of their reputations intact. He quietly set down the sleeping girl, and for a moment, a small smile graced his lips as he looked onto her. "Ginny, this is not what it looks like. Please, please, please… I know you and Blaine have some… er, friction between the two of you, but please don't use this as a tool for revenge." Ginny sat down on the couch, not looking at anything anymore but the ever-constant flame the fire provided. If she tried, she could see the heat working its own wave of magic around them. And if she looked really hard, she could make out the silhouette of fairies clad in blood-red dresses holding up the flame and dancing around in it. Oliver sat next to her and took her hand, lightly rubbing his thumb over the skin between her wrist and the start of her fingers.

"Blaine is the closest thing I have to a sister, Ginny. The closest thing to family I have. When I was a wee child, about five, You-know-who killed my parents. Then his Death Eaters came into me and Idina's room. I was hiding under the bed, but she was just a year old. She never knew the danger. They slaughtered her before my eyes and left." If she hadn't known Oliver Wood for being the toughest, and one of the bravest Gryffindors, she would have thought that behind the cover of darkness, there were tears glistening in his eyes.

"I've been raised by a foster family ever since. No one knows. Blaine treats me like a big brother, and I haven't been one for such a long time. She looks so much like Idina… please just don't tell. I protect her like if she was Idina and she loves me like Idina would. If you feel an urge to lower my Blaine's standards and morals by saying more of what you saw today than a brother helping his little baby sister get over a bad dream, go ahead… but you know what I can do." With an awkward moment, Oliver squeezed Ginny's hand and crawled silently to where Blaine still lay asleep, undisturbed by soft murmurings around her.

The early red rays were shadowing her face beautifully making him choke trying not to show emotion in front of Ginny. Stray strands of hair veiled her eyes until with a careful touch; he pushed them behind her ear. Shielding what he was doing by turning his back to Ginny, Oliver lowered his head to Blaine's and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

For a moment, all he did was gaze down at the eleven year old as her chest rose and fell evenly with the dreams playing behind her eyelids that neither a seer, nor a friend in wanting could see. Then he regained his composure. Wishing Ginny a polite adieu, he gathered his belongings from the chair and walked up the stairs back to the dormitory.

Blaine stirred to the warm touch her "brother" had given her and with a slight whimper felt around the chair for Oliver. When she could feel not the well-toned arms that enveloped her in moments of sadness, or the light breaths pushing back her hair from above, she stood up so quickly it almost made her faint. You know the feeling you have when you spin around twenty times laughing, and when you stop, the blood keeps twirling around in your head? Well, Ginny felt this from watching the girl you just a few nights previous had made her life a living hell looking so vulnerable and lost. She felt a bit of empathy towards her brothers' hero, and took Blaine's arm, leading her back to the dorm.

She was half-asleep still, and didn't even notice her newfound enemy of the week set her unharmed in her own four-poster. Ginny, with a sort of bitter glare, sat down on the same bed, lowering the mattress slightly. A lump pressed hard against her lungs begging for the pressure to be released. _How?_ She thought, almost crying from the waves of heaviness it sent through her entire body. After so long sitting there pitying herself, Blaine's breathing was regular. For about five minutes, she watched Blaine's chest rise and fall before she was satisfied enough to sneakily creep down to the common room again.

* * *

With Blaine and no Oliver there to nag in her ear about silence, the common room seemed almost empty, only being filled with the stream of sunlight sneaking through the crack in the closed curtain and a lackluster gleam from the fire. It gave Ginny plenty of space to dwell on the events of the previous day. But the pounding from her memories made her long for the noise again. Sometimes silence can be twice as unbearable as noise. But as she thought about what Draco had almost succeeded in doing, scared Ginny into blocking out her thoughts, and she felt immensely relieved, even if the blockade lasted for but a second. Who would tell her the right thing to do? Of course. Tom. She had to talk to Tom.

* * *

_Tom…_

_Tom, please answer me._

_**Gin? It's the crack of dawn, princess. Do everybody a favor and go back to bed.**_

_Tom, Draco just tried to kill me!_

_**Well, isn't that nice! You can tell me all about it in the morning.**_

_TOM!_

_**What? I'm up! I'm up! God, that was loud. What the hell is your problem, anyway? I was only fooling.**_

_Tom, Draco tried to kill me._

_**I'm sorry. Tell me all about it.**_

_He- he said he loved me, but he only said that to tie me up and question me._

_**Oh, princess… **_

_**Just, you know me- I tend to wonder about the most unimportant things… so, what did he ask you, for curiosity's sake?**_

_Oh… well, that's the weird part. He asked the most non-important things, like about who gave me the roses, why I broke up with him, and who you were. _

_**Who I was? He actually asked about me?** _

_Well, sure. I'm positive I must have mentioned you to him before, or else he wouldn't_

_**What did you tell him?**_

_No need to cut me off, Tom. You know I'd tell you. I just told him your name, Tom Riddle. I didn't tell him anything else. You can trust me._

_**Can I?**_

_What do you mean?_

_**Oh, stop your blubbering. You already broke and told him my name. YOU CANNOT TELL ANYONE ELSE ANYTHING ABOUT ME! SAVVY? **_

_I'm sorry, Tom. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry._

_**Shut up. Just shut up. **_

_**I'm sorry. **_

_Really?_

_Tom?_

_**Come here, princess.**_

_Here? Where is here? Are you angry still with me?_

_**Of course not. You know where, though. Come to me, princess. I'm waiting.**_

_But- er, I, uh, had a rough night. Yes. A very rough and tiring night. I'll come tomorrow when I'm refreshed._

_**You'll come right now, princess. I must see you now.**_

_Ohhhh… okay? I'll be right there.

* * *

_

Ginny didn't want to abandon the warmth of the fire. The embers were still barely flickering, yet to Ginny, a much colder aspect awaited her if she strayed from this hearth. Already she could feel the pounding begin in her temples like they were drum. It seemed loud enough to have a headache, even in the midst of silence. The longer she sat there trying to ease the constant pounding, the more pull she felt, like the pull from a portkey. Something wanted her desperately to leave. Ginny unwillingly succumbed to such craft and stood up, making her silhouette fall on the sputtering embers.

Taking care to be as quiet as possible, Ginny leant down in front of her trunk and took out her cloak. All her roommates slept peacefully, and she noticed with a twinge of guilt that Molly's bed had not been slept in. She snuck out of their dorm and through to the stairs, stopping for a minute every time she heard noises coming from the rooms. Then she stumbled away from the pink haze the dawn still brought and pushed open the portrait.

* * *

Following the fifty-year worn trail, Ginny held her head to release some of the pain of the pounding as she neared the phantom bathroom. All of these things were passing her like they were on a conveyer belt. She stood there, moving her feet in time to her breathing, and all the stuff moved around her. Every time she came to this corridor, a mist seemed to cloud her senses and make it feel like she was in a dream.

When she finally reached the bathroom, everything, including her breathing, was moving in slow motion. The mist was overpowering her entire mind with its fog. She could hardly tell where she was, or where she was going, yet her feet never stopped their narration as they moved forward purposely. One foot, then the other… One foot, then the other… Right, left, right, left… eventually she stopped paying attention. That is until somehow, she found herself sliding down a slimy tunnel.

* * *

Rust covered walls coated the air with the metal tang that fell from the walls in mouthfuls. Coughing from inhaling the fifty years worth of undisturbed rust, Ginny began to feel more than the slightest unease. This place had shadows looming at her from every angle and an unnatural light filtered in, nearly blinding her, from one or another passageway. She passed through a number of arched entryways that by the marks carved onto the ground it could be indicated that they had recently been opened.

At last she reached the end of the maze. The unnatural light was coming from a shimmering orb that floated high, near the arched ceiling of this labyrinth. Her hands grasped onto the Diary, and the light seemed to only grow brighter. A voice called out to her, as her eyes lay transfixed on the orb.

"Hello, my princess." Ginny followed the to its source at the head of a large marble statue. It looked oddly familiar. The statue was…Salazar Slytherin. Ginny nearly fell backwards from a memory breaking through her blockade. She knew this place. She had seen it all before. The voice sang pure through the empty chamber, making her remember. No. Dream. Tom. Hurt. Stop! Tom! Laughing? No. Please. Tom. Won't. Kiss. Searing. Hot. Torrid. No. Stop! Please. Tom. Stop!

* * *

_Flashback_

Snake carvings were everywhere. In the middle of the chamber was a huge statue of Salazar Slytherin, complete with Tom in front of it. Ginny took small steps towards him, looking around. He just stood very still, his eyes fixed on her, waiting.

"Tom? What's going on? Where are we?" she asked fiercely when she reached him. Tom moved towards her.

"Oh this?" he asked simply, gesturing around. At her nod, he continued. "Well, this is my world." He took another step near to her. " I'm sure we can find something to do little Gin." Ginny then realized what he planned to do with her.

She started screaming but was silenced by Tom covering her mouth with his and practically forcing his tongue down her throat. Ginny tried to back away, but ended up with her back against the wall and his arms blocking her escape. Tom merely smirked and chuckled at her antics.

"See, Gin," Tom started to say as he stood against her with his lips right next to her ear. "I don't want to kill you. Au Contraire. I want you very much alive. I need you princess. Why do you think it was you who got the diary? That wasn't an accident and you know I don't go befriending all the Gryffindors and elves and happy little unicorns. I'm not all peaches and cream." Ginny shuddered when he moved even closer, placing his finger on her chin, turning her so they were eye to eye. "And you know that well. You do have a future with me princess, and a definite one at that. Whether you want to or not. So princess, why don't you help me now." He brushed his fingers through the lock of hair dangling by her mouth. "Guess what princess… you're mine." Ginny shuddered again and tried to push away his hand. He laughed, grabbed her shoulders, and ensnared her in a dangerous kiss- the kind of kiss parents warn their daughters against. When he let her go, she burst free of his grasp and ran forward blindly.

Hot tears burnt a path down her cheeks as she stumbled forward. Tom just stood leaning against the wall staring at his hand like he had snatched at something just beyond his reach. When she looked back at him, she paused. She wasn't being chased. Tom then jerked to attention and noticed her, not a hundred feet away, barely even fifty, just watching him. His eyes widened and his hands shook a bit in anger and he started to walk towards her taking painfully long, slow strides, Ginny backed up when he began advancing but took one too many steps without noticing where she was headed.

With a splash and a thud, Ginny landed two feet down with only her knees, top of her uniform skirt, and her face out of the water. Tom casually peered over the side of the walkway and cocked his head sideways to gaze at her. Sighing, he flicked her wand and held up the long brown trench coat he summoned from the bedroom. Ginny whimpered a little as he picked her up and wrapped her in it.

Her uniform was soaked so she tightened the coat around her. Tom laid her down in front of the statue like a primitive sacrifice to a god and straddled her waist. There was no way to get away from him now. "Gin, I really don't want to do this. But you just can't cheat fate or escape destiny," he said, diverting his eyes to the base of the statue. Ginny then grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at her. An eleven-year-old girl was no match for a sixteen-year-old boy. Tom may be a memory but he had absorbed enough of her magic that he was almost completely human again. He was almost free of the diary. Normally he would have just overpowered her and walked away, but something was troubling him. He allowed himself to be forced to do something.

"W…what do you have to do?" she asked the question fearfully, stuttering slightly. He looked down at this innocent girl on the floor. What was he doing? He stroked her face for a second and was about to get off of her, smiling for a split second. Thenhis hands tightened and his face was set into a frown. No. He had to do it. He had to. Had to.Facing her again, he took both of her hands and pinned them together above her head.

"Tom...please…don't." He just stared at her with his cold dark eyes.

Tom reached back with one hand, keeping the other hand firmly onto her own, and started to hike up her long, damp uniform skirt. Her eyes went as wide as apples and she started to struggle, but Tom's hand remained firm. "Tom, please! Stop. Let go of me! Stop it! Please." Tom rolled his eyes at her plea andslipped his hand from her skirt to the back of her neck.Eyes closed, Ginny heard a click and when she opened them, she saw what Tom had done. He had unclasped her gold necklace, a gift from her father at her fifth brthday party. "Not my necklace... please. Not my necklace..."

Tom ignored her and wound the chain so it bound her two hands together. Whenever she struggled, it bit down into her skin. He sharply inhaled and used the same hand he had used to hike up her skirt and bind her to part his nearly solid Slytherin robe. Ginny sniveled, trying to keep the tears off her face while she began to kick and shove.

Merrily snickering that she was still trying to fight, Tom thought, **_You go right on ahead and fight it my princess. Sooner or later, you'll give in. Oh yes you'll give in._** "Tom..." Ginny arched her back so her face was closer to his. He seemed to notice this. " Tom, I am begging you to stop." She seemed very distraught when she voiced this last thought so she whispered her continuation. "You have made me resort to begging, Tom. You know how much you dislike your princess begging, and I know it too. Look what you've done to me. Look what you're doing." Tom froze at her words. They were the truth. Begging and pleading was far under his princess. She was above all of it.

**_No!_** A thought deep in Tom's mind yelled. **_Stop it! She knew what she was getting into from the very start. Don't let her persuade you! Punish her! Punish her!_** Tom nodded and smirked at Ginny. Ginny saw she wasn't going to win this and whimpered, letting a single tear fall down her cheek. Tom gazed at her, as she looked away, her eyes sequenced up so to soften the pain she was sure she'd feel. Then she felt the mind blowing pain and shrieked out loud in agony. Tears openly fell onto the floor and he continued.

"Tom…stop! You're…you're hurting me Tom! Ow! Stop it please! Please!"

_End Flashback

* * *

_

Her scream rattled the stones themselves on the ground. Tom just chuckled from his place atop the statue and swung his leg off to the side. "Princess, I won't bite." A normal person would be fleeing right about now, arms flailing and all. Now the youngest and only girl in the Weasley family, Virginia, was not what you would call a normal person. She didn't believe anything could really hurt, as many naïve children do. Of course she had broken limbs and sprained ankles, and such and such. That isn't the kind of pain she feared.

Someone who's never experienced heartbreak can never imagine the mortal anguish that can come with it. Those who have never known fear about anything fear it. For those who have never felt its near fatal blows will never know anything near as hurtful.

Tom had been watching Ginny since she had screamed, and was feeling just a tad insecure as he saw her weigh the pros and cons in her head. Her gut was screaming at her to run, and run fast, yet after locking eyes with Tom, her legs refused to cooperate, and she was unable to move. "Princess…" Tom had either jumped down from his perch or his molecules had shifted so fast, he just apparated down to Ginny. "Welcome."

Ginny took a look around. This was definitely the place of her dream. But Tom was- Tom… That was when Ginny realized that this was the first time she had actually ever seen him. Instantly, she knew why anyone would fear him so.

His midnight colored hair flopped in front of his eyes as he advanced up to his Ginny. Coal eyes that were like the sea on a stormy day wouldn't leave hers.

His eyes remained on hers no matter the baby steps backwards she took she took. As soon as she began to step backwards, Ginny realized her path had been turned when she felt the clammy stone behind her. Tom sighed. He was so close that the simplest of breaths from him caused her hair to flutter from the breeze. Being pushed against the wall unwillingly by Tom closing in on her, Ginny's own breath came shorter and shorter the closer he got. This was too familiar. Tears threatened to cascade down her cheeks as she thought what might happened if this turned out to be her dream.

Oh, why did she ever come down here?

A single tear slid down when he spoke and she closed her eyes to prevent any more; her fingers clenched on their own accord. "Princess…" She shuddered. He seemed to like watching her do that. But the more she tried to control her chills, the wider his grin grew. "Answer my questions, Gin. And nothing will happen to you." Ginny opened her eyes to see his coal ones barely half an inch away.

"T…Tom…" her first words to him all garbled and stuttered. Idiot! He cocked his head to the side, and then broke eye contact to fiddle with her hair. "Tom… I'm scared. I don't like this place. Please, let me go." A smile that would later plague her dreams now came onto his face. His hand moved down, encircling poor, little, terrified, Ginny Weasly's waist. "Please Tom…" She whispered.

Instead of showing mercy to this girl, he pulled her by the waist closer to him, and with his other hand, dug into his pocket. Conjuring a small ball with a rune he held, her eyes rested of the generated electricity. "Wait for it…" The ball grew larger, and the energy fought for freedom, reaching out and grazing the tips of Ginny's hair, turning neon blue. Her widened eyes reflected the sight.

"Tom, what is that?" With its first taste of the innocent girl before it, the ball pulled all the power it could from out of her, making her gasp in pain and crumple to the ground.

Why was she so much of an idiot as to come down here?

Tom's head was cocked to the side again, when she could manage to look up. He knelt down to her eye level, watching her, an amused grin on his face as he saw her reaction. But the grin didn't reach his eyes, for no amusement was there. His coal eyes were cold and dark, closed off from every emotion, every other part of his body. Ginny could never imagine those eyes changing. They were separate.

"Please Tom, don't," was all she said as she shuddered on the ground. He paused, thinking of how feeble her last plea had been as he gathered her frail body in his arms. This was not the Ginny he had known. This was not the lively girl he had met that fateful day in Diagon Alley, and he wanted her back. But somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew it was his fault she was like this… His Ginny… His fault.

With a small twitch of confusion, Tom shifted Ginny around until she was back on the floor. "What do you think I'm going to do to you?" He asked, nearly floating above her. Fear consumed Ginny at his closeness. Tears dripped to the floor.

"Please, Tom, please." She didn't even see him anymore. All she saw was her dream realizing itself around her. Tom gulped and backed away slowly to give her some space. He should have just taken over and then brought her down here again, but no, he had to talk to his Ginny. He had to knock some sense into her even if He didn't want to. She would've awoken in her own bed, not the slightest bit harmed, and with no knowledge of the incident.

**_Oh, no no no. You remember what happened last time. That's right. She remembered! You screwed up and she remembered! But not anymore. She'll know what happens in her own little story book, but she'll be too afraid of you to tell. This is for the best! Get back to her and do what you have been destined! Make her kill for me. I mean… for you. Make her want to kill for you._** Tom's thoughts all yelled at him in that voice. That voice controlled him. No matter how strong he got, that voice stole some power for himself. The voice would always be stronger and more powerful than Tom. _No_. He told himself. _I won't._ **_You will. You were like that too, once upon a yesterday: a happy-go-lucky half-blood. I changed you for the better, and you will change her for the better as well! Do as I say!_** Ginny had to listen to Tom… had to answer his questions. **_Yes._**

"Just," Tom began, trying to control his rebelling thoughts as he tried to calm Ginny down. "Just answer me a few questions, and no harm shall come to you." He yelled that to make her hear him. **_Oh, stop lying to the poor girl._** _You, be quiet_. He commanded. Ginny still couldn't see or hear him; she thrashed about trying to get his ink- no- bloodstained hands off of her. "Where did you get the roses, princess? That's all I want to know. Just tell me what you told Draco." When he was standing a good ten feet away from her, she calmed down enough to sit up, but her breath still came in short gasps she couldn't quite catch. Too weak to stand and run away, she was at his mercy. He leant onto the wall, catching his own breath. Not looking at her, he asked the question again. "Where are they from, Gin?"

Finally, her breath was returned with a wisp of magic taken away. Ginny's thoughts returned to the subject that had given her so much grief, and decided what was proper to tell Tom. "Not you too! Please, Tom! I _received_ them from Harry. But the twins bought them for me. Why is this so important to everyone?" A smile had drawn itself on his face. Well, not a smile… an evil smirk, maybe. He shook his head and thought up another question; one he had been thriving to know the answer to.

"Do you love him?"

Ginny was confused. "Harry?" At Tom's nod, the light returned to her eyes. "Oh Tom, he is just one of the best people you could ever meet. He's so nice and kind and caring. He won't say a bad word about anyone and he's so incredibly brave..." she begun to prattle on about him for the longest time when Tom finally tuned her out.

She finally stopped, bathing in the warm light his memory brought to her. It made him sick for one reason or another. "Now tell me what Draco knows about me because of you." Ginny blinked twice, trying to remember. Everything past Halloween morning had some sort of blur around it. _But it was just earlier today. You must remember what you said…_

"Oh, that?" She asked, letting a small giggle get past her closed lips. "Tom, I told you. All he knows is your name. What's so bad about that? You-know-who could look in any yearbook and see a picture and a name **and** a description. That's three times as much as he knows about you." Tom clamped down his eyes trying to control the anger that threatened to explode out of every pore in his body. The voice kept getting louder, wanting to take over. "Well, after I told him your name, Snape came in and Draco silenced me."

That was the degree that put Tom over the boiling point.

Reaching out with one hand, Tom grabbed Ginny by the throat and lifted her into the air. Ginny's surprised eyes and her hands clawing at his finger on her neck made him drop her and clutch her wrist instead. "Tom…" She spat out in a thin, brittle voice as she massaged her throat with her free hand. "Tom… please stop."

He raised his hand, pulling Ginny off the floor and levitating her a few good feet until they were face to face, her hands raised above her head. "You would've told him more, wouldn't you have?" He screamed, throwing her fragile body back down to the floor. "He can search for me now! You stupid, _stupid _little girl! You backstabbing traitor!" Ginny worked to keep the tears at bay this time.

"I wasn't trying to betray you! Please, believe me!"

He made a move to grab her again. "Tom, stop! You're hurting me!" She whined, clutching onto herself. Tom silenced her with a sharp slap to the face, forcing her head back into the floor, making stars appear before her eyes. "Stop…" She was trying to think of a good threat. "I'll tell. Charlie, my brother, will kill you for hurting me, Tom." At that, Tom just kicked her in the side, watching her moan with a sick pleasure.

"LOOK AROUND YOU, VIRGINIA!" He took a side of her face with each hand and forced her to look. "DO YOU THINK ANYONE CAN HEAR YOU CRY OR SCREAM OR MOAN?" He was enjoying it so much; it was scary to see his eyes light up for once as the pleasure made him laugh. "DO YOU THINK ANYONE IS COMING TO SAVE YOU?" Tears were streaming down her face as the realization that she was cut off from the world with only Tom to keep her company there. And from the previous actions he had already done to her, you didn't want to be alone with him.

Tom dropped his grip on her and watched Ginny sob onto the floor. "If a little yelling can break you so much, princess, I cannot trust you with even the tiniest secret. I, foolishly, thought I was your secret. The secret no one would ever know!" His voice kept changing tone. She didn't know what to expect from him next. "Virginia… now Malfoy knows. You have defied me. You have broken and you will break again. Unless, I can train you to be, as a Malfoy, and show nothing… Be indifferent. We'll render your capability to tell secrets right now." Kneeling down to her crumpled size, Tom stroked her hair gently, before reaching in her cloak pocket and taking her wand of Yew Wood and Unicorn hair.

She barely flinched as the wand was pointed towards her. His coal eyes hesitated, taking a slightly greener hue than it had been, but then it sharpened, focusing on the trembling broken child littering the Chamber floor.

"Tom… please…" Ignoring her plea, Tom steadied his hand. "I am so sorry."

A flicker of emotion shown in his dead eyes. "I'm sorry too, Gin. But you cannot break. For me, you must be strong. And I am going to etch that lesson into your brain if I have to carve it into your very skin." The wand rose again, this time pointing straight at her heart.

"Tom… No!" she begged aloud.

"CRUCIO!"


	6. Masquerade!

Every day  
People in their own sweet way  
Like to add a coat of paint  
And be what they hate.

That's how our little  
Game is played,  
Living out a Masquerade,  
Acting a bizarre charade  
While playing the saint!

**Jekyll Hyde, Façade. **

**Stained with Ink**

Snake carvings were everywhere. In the middle of the chamber was a huge statue of Salazar Slytherin, complete with Tom in front of it. Ginny took small steps towards him, looking around. He just stood very still, his eyes fixed on her, waiting.

"Tom? What's going on? Why did you make me write that on the wall?" she asked timidly when she reached him, frightened of what the answer might be. Tom moved towards her and closed in the gap between them, a smile playing at his lips.

"Oh Gin," he laughed scornfully, his arms gesturing around as if to ask if it wasn't already obvious. Her red hair was separated into small pigtails, braided at the end with no real care. Playfully, he took one in his hand and made to fix it. Eyes wide, Ginny moved away. "What's the matter? Are you tired of our game now, Gin?" At her nod, he smirked. He took another step nearer to her.

"It isn't a game anymore, Tom! People are getting hurt!"

"Because of you." Tom's voice was stiff and harsh. "You did all of this yourself, my princess. Don't go blaming me and begging me to stop. Because I never will. I will be with you until you die!" Her lips were trembling at the truth and she tried to wipe away her tears with the ends of her hair. "You did this yourself, AND you will be mine forever." His hands were rough on hers and tugging at them did not loosen his hold. "You will be MINE!"

She started screaming, but was silenced by Tom covering her mouth with his and practically forcing his tongue down her throat. Ginny tried to back away, but ended up with her back against the wall and his arms on either side of her body blocking her escape. The damp and the dirt on the wall ruined her brand new uniform that had cost so much of her savings. She winced as Tom broke away from her mouth and by the way he was sighing, she could tell he was heartily annoyed with her. Before she had time to think any further, he had put his lips up to her ear. Seeing her start to shake, he began twisting her hair around his fingers idly for added effect. Her head turned from his and she closed her eyes. At this, he paused for a second, the anger overtaking him again, and he put his hands on her shoulders, pushing her harder against the wall, knocking her head against the stone so roughly, stars appeared behind her eyes.

"Gin, don't fight me. It will only be worse for you." She guessed it was his version of showing mercy, by giving his victims fair warning. Her entire body shaking with fear, she brought up her quaking hands and tried to push him away. His eyes narrowed and she was again forced against the wall, blood dripped from her hair and stained her clothes as her head was knocked against the wall again. "Damn it, Virginia! I said, don't fight me!" His lips enclosed hers and when she tried once again to push him away, he angrily bit her bottom lip, causing her to whimper softly into his mouth. His hands were moving around her back, under her clothing; cold fingers gripping at the skin. Tears were falling down her cheeks; he looked at them for a moment before taking his hands off her body to remove her robe with one deft movement. Blushing at her schoolgirl attire, Ginny tried to pull down her skirt so it covered more of her legs, but he didn't want that. His hand began to slide up her leg smoothly.

Whimpering again, she looked away and tried to imagine happier things. Images of Harry filled her mind and she decided it was worth a try. Screaming, Ginny pointed at the entrance to try and trick Tom into believing Harry had come in early. His head snapped over his shoulder, and his hands momentarily stopped moving until he saw that there was no one there. Turning back, Ginny used his moment of disorientation to break free of his grasp, and then she ran.

The dream was different now. Yet still it plagued her sleep, waking her up in a fit of panic. At least she could wake herself up now. She couldn't fall back asleep for fear that it would continue where she awoke and she would have to feel his body pressed to hers again. Involuntarily, the tears began to fall. And she let them fall. She let them fall until no more could come and her eyes were dry.

It had been a day since she had come down here. Ginny was curled up against the bedpost, eyes wide open, just waiting for Tom to come again. She was too vulnerable now that she was so weak. Her bones trembled with every breath she took, and her lungs felt about to collapse upon themselves. Every time the most miniature noise occurred, her senses went into overdrive and her body would freeze. Tears would leak onto the already tear-stained pillow as her body racked with silent sobs. Then the moment would pass and she would be tense against the bedpost again, waiting for another noise to come and engulf her small body in terror.

This whole Sunday morning, which should have been used to help raise her abysmal Potions grades, was wasted as she clutched onto the bedpost. He could do anything he wanted with her. That's what frightened her the most. Her best friend in the world had turned into the flesh-yearning phantom of this Chamber. His eyes burnt her flesh with its lustful gaze. He would slaughter for her to stay at his side forever more. And in doing so, he might just kill her as well.

There was a phrase he had written to her once. It was probably barely last month he had said it, but now it seemed so long ago… She had asked why he loved to frighten her so, in a laughing state. He had replied with **_Fear can turn to love, you'll see. Oh, yes my princess. Fear can turn to love. _**She hadn't understood what he meant by that at the present time. Did he want her to love him? For she did. And after she had said so to him, she could feel his happiness. Arms wrapped around her waist from behind them, offering her warmth. And even though she knew these hands that she admired so were not at all alive, she could tell, she would be safe.

Those same hands had held the wand pointed at her heart earlier that morning.

The room she was in was beautiful, well, as beautiful as something can be when it traps you like a prison of stone. She was on a low flying cloud it felt, there was an eighteenth century bed with cedar wood for the base and little pieces of heaven as sheets. Either it had been redecorated when the chamber was first opened half a century ago, or Slytherin must have entertained a lot in bed, enough to go out of his way to buy a future-esque bed. And she was almost quite certain from what she had read that this was the Chamber of Secrets.

All that was actually in the room besides her bed was a small shelf on the wall and two mysterious doors. One, she knew, led to where Tom had brought her from yesterday when she was unconscious from the cursing. It led straight to the center of the Chamber. She was foolish if she thought her knight in shining armor would rescue her from here. The door was hidden within the shadows of the Chamber, visible only from the head of Slytherin's statue. The other door in the room with her led to God only knew where!

Ginny never did appreciate mysteries.

"Curiosity killed the cat." Preached every parent who had ever known her and her inability to handle not knowing. A small sneer darkened Ginny's face for a second as she remembered those good-for-nothing "teachers" who thought enough of themselves to push their ideas onto others. _Well,_ she thought, blasphemous against all her teachers. _Curiosity may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought him back._

Long ago she had abandoned the idea of trying to force her way out from the doors. From testing each one, she realized that they wouldn't open now, nor when she had bruised her side trying to bang it open. So the only thing to do was wait, and maybe read one of Tom's books.

Creaking as her weight shifted, the bed relented its prisoner to silently creep across the freezing stones on the floor. Amongst the few books on the shelf was a small handheld mirror; her pale face startled even herself as she gazed at her reflection. Her hair hung limply onto her shoulders and her face looked as pale as the marble freezing her feet. Small cuts from when she had thrashed against the curse's hold covered inches at a time over her skin. The red staining her pale face made her gingerly touch a cut that stretched from under her hair to a freckle halfway to her lips. It was awfully… thrilling. It made her feel as if the pain she had felt inside for days now was seeping out in the form of blood.

Putting aside the mirror that must be charmed, as she could not possibly look like that, Ginny frivolously picked up a leather-bound book. In shock of seeing a mirror image of her own diary, the diary fell from her hand onto the floor, lifting a light mushroom cloud of dust. This must be the diary Tom writes in. But that would mean that within her ink lived not a friend. Merely a boy who was tickling her fancy by responding to her when she wrote. No. He must have been in the diary at some point.

With a long eagle pen she stole from beneath the shelf, covered in the dust, she tested her theory half-heartedly. But unlike her hypothesis, the words she wrote on the last page of this diary stayed put and never even showed the slightest trace of ink in her own pages. So, she looked to see if maybe there was still writing on the other pages. From the beginning was the rambling of a person to their journal. However, later on, the boy seemed to start talking and arguing with himself on paper. Certainly these conversations were just another situation like Tom and she had had. But then a new handwriting would spark from Tom's quill. About halfway through, Ginny recognized Draco's handwriting amongst Tom's. So Draco did know Tom. Well, Tom did say that Lucius had given him to her. In respect for Draco's privacy, she skipped over his section.

Near the end, about three fourths of the way through, she saw her own conversations with Tom. This diary had a record of each conversation Tom had ever so much as set his quill down to mark the pages. Maybe if she talked first in her diary, the words would appear in the other. Sure enough, the test became a success. Biting her lip, Ginny searched the room with her eyes for her wand before screaming in frustration. Of course a smart wizard like Tom would never leave a prisoner with their wand. But his had to be in here somewhere…

After carefully checking around, Ginny sighed and closed her eyes, intent on using all of her energy to perform this small bit of magic. Latin flowing lazily from her mouth, Ginny erased the cloaking spell that kept her from seeing what he wrote. No longer would she see only what he wanted her to see. Now Tom could never write in his diary without her seeing it. There would be no more secrets. A deranged smile of sorts was on Ginny's face as she climbed back onto her position on the bed.

A click sounded from the Chamber door, causing Ginny to clench the post so tightly her knuckles were white. Footsteps pounded on the floor, growing closer and closer in a painstakingly slow rhythm. They stopped right up next to the bed, and Ginny felt herself shift slightly towards the center of the bed, towards where a new weight rested. An ice-cold hand brushed her cut. Holding back a shiver, Ginny clasped her eyelids together and feigned sleep. "I know you're awake, Gin." When she allowed him to see her eyes flutter open, Tom was face to face, lying next to her on the bed. "Good morning, princess."

So as to not scream, Ginny bit her upper lip, and willed herself to not scramble away. Bottle-green eyes mesmerized her plain brown doll ones. "Tom…." Ginny began with wide eyes. He wasn't watching her face, but was focused on his hands traveling to her cheek. Even from a few centimeters away, the cold radiated from his fingertips. With her small word, Tom moved one finger from side to side and put it up to her blood-red lips.

"Shush, princess." With the hand not being used to silence his captive, Tom reached into his back pocket and brandished a large, silver key to her. He let the light glint off of it; he was enticing her to it. "I don't bother with wizard locking spells, Gin. You might have figured that out when you tried every one you knew on the doors." Why did he feel the need to mock her again with his laughing grin? "There are enough dark Slytherin locks around this place to ward off any… er… 'Unsuspecting' trespassers." He half-laughed, half-hissed sarcastically. Her hand lifted to touch the hoary key, and Tom smirked as he offered it to her. "But," he withdrew his hand and the key, "I didn't want to have even a dark Slytherin like myself to get to whatever-" he paused, eyeing Ginny up and down. "Or whoever I had in here by inheritance alone. Muggles are very smart for their own protection." Ginny remained hushed throughout his explanation, except for her slightly staggered breathing. She was still in such a state of shock that she couldn't comprehend anything Tom was saying.

Seeing the stilled calmness and shock at the same time on her face, Tom let out a quiet cackle, obviously thinking that he had terrified her. He laid his hand on her shoulder. "What's the matter, princess?" _Get your perfect hand away from me._ "Princess?" _Dipped in blood… streaking my white nightgown with fresh blood... _"Princess!" His commanding voice quavered her body as the person inside her head took away her poise, and she crumpled into a ball on the corner of the bed, shielding her face.

"Salazar, Gin." He hoisted her upright against the bedpost and gave her an irritated look when she gaped, open-mouthed, at him. "Surely I'm not that hideous that you have to gawk at me whenever I try to articulate with you." Always the eloquent speaker he was to Ginny. With a finger placed on her chin, he snapped her mouth closed. Self-conscious, Ginny averted her eyes.

"Tom," she said, already pushing away. "I… I think… I need to go. I have to- I need to do… I just have to go." His eyes sharpened for a moment before returning to their typical, placid state. He clambered off the bed, holding out a hand for her to do the same. Reluctantly, she took it and allowed herself to be pulled towards his body. Upright, her hair cascaded down to her coin-sized waist. Grinning, Tom took a moment to congratulate himself for getting this girl so close. His arms wrapped around her emaciated waist.

Taking a slow, audible breath, Tom was caught by Ginny's eyes, as he was captivated by the way her flame danced in the eerie light of the Chamber. The flames licked her waist as she swayed side to side in an intoxicating dance. With her red hair the color of flames, a dark sort of red-orange, many were enticed and mesmerized by its constant fire. It smelled like fresh apples, Tom noted as he sniffed daintily at her beautiful hair, causing her eyes to go wide. They glistened like glass balls, like eyes tend to do when they fill with tears but refuse to let them fall.

"You should stay." Tom put his arm across the doorway, barricading her path. "Stay with me." Ginny held her chin high. He couldn't diminish her like that. She would not bow to his every will at the snap of a finger. His hand reached out to feel the warmth of her body against his yearning skin. To avoid his touch, she turned her head, offering to his view her profile. His lustful eyes bored into her and Ginny shuddered, closing her eyes to avoid the desire in his.

In her fear, the lights flickered on and off in their room as a result of their mixed emotions. Ginny stumbled backwards and hugged the bedpost from the ground to not scream. Her eyes were darting back and forth for a place to protect herself in as did not want to be with Tom, weak, in the flickering lights. He just laughed an odd and somehow frightening laugh.

Then the lights went out and plunged them both into darkness.

Ginny's coarse, shallow breathing filled every nook and cranny of the room. Tom took a step backward and let the wave of power wash over him, overwhelming his senses. The power knocked him into the doorframe, and he laughed in spite of it all, frightening Ginny into letting the tears form a puddle by the base of the bed. **_Ahhhh,_** he breathed with ease, each second feeling the door solidify around his hand. The wonderful feeling of running hot with magic coursed its way through his bloodstream, pumping the blood to his heart. With her magic, at least at this time, he was alive.

"Wonderful panic." He gloated, bringing back the glow of a few candles with a wave of his hand.

"I'll tell. Do you think I don't know your plans?" she whispered. Tom squatted to better hear his princess with a frown on his face. "How do you think you can leave me in a room with that diary and not expect me to find it. Every word you've ever written… every conversation you've had with yourself, Draco, or me; it's all in there. You want to know what else was in there? Your words when you scratched the pen across the pages in an effort to stop from going mad, all your plans from when you were first imprisoned in there, and everything else is still in that tiny, stupid, Muggle book!"

Imprisoned… Why did she use that word? There was something familiar in that truth… "I know your plans! I'll just take the diary up to Dumbledore and tell him everything. He'll send you away! You'll never see me again! I will tell." Ginny's shaky voice broke at the end of her brave façade and she slumped against the bed, giving up everything to Tom to do as he wished with her.

No matter how uncertain her tiny threat was, still, if she told even _one _other soul, news would get to Dumbledore. That old coot had always hated him. And if she told, all of the plans he had so carefully detailed, despite being careless with their safekeeping, would all shrivel up and die. There was no way in all of the seven hells Tom Marvolo Riddle would allow that to happen.

Walking swiftly over to the bookshelf and pocketing his diary, Tom took a few seconds to pause and register her words and her threat so he had it perfectly in his mind. And as he did, he realized what she had truly said. "Fool! You foolish, foolish girl! You can't tell Dumb-as-a-door about me! He'll send me back to my own time, leaving you here all alone to bear the weight of this Chamber of Secrets on your shoulders. As long as I am here, I can make it easier for you to shoulder that load. But you cannot and will not live without me!" His voice was fierce and was darkening the room all over again. He grabbed her forearm, causing her to wince when he grabbed a part where her skin had been torn open by the unforgiving chamber floor.

Ginny whimpered as he twisted it ruthlessly, quickly biting hard onto her lip so that he could not hear her. She knew from the conversations between Draco and Tom if you showed you were being hurt, that they would just make it worse for her. She could almost envision his face contorting in anger; his hand lashing out strike her face, but hopefully, the harder she bit down, the less he would hear.

His hand released her arm and he put his hand to the corner of her closed lips. A trickle of blood was making a path down her chin and he used his forefinger to wipe it off and inspect it. After a moment, he seemed to come to a decision and his arm really did lash out this time, hitting her right where the bloodstain was, causing her teeth to chatter against each other.

Her head reeling, Ginny collapsed to the floor, a brief smile lighting up her face before disappearing into the dirt on the floor. A few seconds afterward, the room's light sputtered on, spreading light over Ginny's body, face down on the floor, and the look of utmost horror on Tom's face. "Ginny!" His voice still seemed brutal, but when she looked back to at him, his hand was at his throat, confused at the voice coming out, masking as his own. "Dear Salazar, I am so sorry." He gave up on trying to get his normal voice back and just knelt down to her, turning her softly so she was facing him. "Are you all right?" _One of the only persons to ever pay attention to me has just abused me for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Tom. Do you think I'm all right?_ These were the words that Ginny desperately wanted to rub into Tom's face, along with some of the dirt on the floor.

But Ginny Weasley was a good little girl.

A hand slipped into hers and, unwillingly, she felt her body react automatically and take it. Tom pulled her up to the bed by her hand. She just flopped down where he pulled or pushed her, massaging her arm. Brown marks showed where his fingers had gripped so tightly. "It'll never happen again, princess. Never. You're too important." Looking into his honest, green eyes, Ginny could see he was lying, but at the moment she didn't care. She wanted- oh how much she wanted- what he said to be true. Maybe her instinct was wrong.

"I won't tell." Tom's face grew into a gleeful smirk.

"Good girl," he whispered into her ear as he stroked her copper hair. Shivering, Ginny cracked her lips trying to smile at Tom. He should think that she wasn't scared, that his lesson wasn't learned, that she was still just as innocent as she was when they first met…

She was his Trophy Bride. He didn't want her for Ginny. Although she loved him, she knew he only wanted someone innocent at his side with power when he triumphed. And by being the last female heir of Rowena Ravenclaw… who better to have as an accomplice?

Tom pushed himself off the bed and extended his hand to her. Confused, Ginny gingerly placed her hand in it, eyes widening as she found herself wrapped up in his arms. "Dance with me, princess." It wasn't a proposal. It was a command. A command issued in a sweet breath, but a command nevertheless. Ginny tried to push the arms off of her but the furthest she could get was about two feet away, their arms remaining entwined.

"I can't dance, Tom. There's no music." Tom smiled in a way that made him seem innocent even to her. All that he did was pull her back to him, swaying slightly from sided to side, humming a simple tune. The tune was familiar… a classic for formal dances, but as he began to make his own accompaniment, an invisible orchestra of elaborate harps, violins, and other instruments Ginny couldn't recognize all joined in. He smiled into her hair, swinging her so that he was no longer behind her. It was a great pleasure for him to see her eyes light up at the music in awe and wonderment.

"Come…" He pulled lightly on her hands, pushing open the door with his foot and leading her into the main Chamber. Expecting an amazing illusion to overtake her, Ginny was surprised to see the snakes and stone surrounding her. But out of Tom's hand came a mask, white with gold sequence around the border, tinting the cheeks slightly pink. When he swung her around to where he had full control over her from the back, he slipped the mask over her head, tightening the band.

Immediately when she looked through the small holes that posed for eyes, marble washed over the stone, and the many snakes carved into the wall changed into beautiful carvings of angels. They weren't alone either. They both faced the grand mirror that reflected the entire ballroom from the east wall. And in the mirror, dozens, maybe hundreds of couples danced perfectly in the rhythm, each wearing a mask, a ball gown, or black dress robes and a tie. Ginny blushed and shut her eyes, embarrassed for still wearing her school clothes from the night before. But when her eyes were reopened, a green dress hung from her petite frame, swirling with the lightest movement.

"Oh," she gasped, delighted for once to be the princess she had always pretended to be. Behind her, she could feel Tom's glee. Her arms were covered in elegant white gloves that went to the middle of her forearm. She felt a hand slip into her gloved one and turned to face Tom, who was the only one not wearing a mask. "Well, if you're not wearing one, I refuse to." She made a move to take off the mask, but his hands clenched over hers when she moved it a tiny bit. From the view under her mask, the Chamber was still there, not this grand hall. Tom smiled nervously and he led her into a marvelous dance on the dance floor, ignoring her wide-eyed, questioning stares as he fixed her mask.

"Just keep the mask on," he said through his teeth. With each move, this all seemed so unreal. The pillars had gargoyles, nearly hidden in the shadows, all watching her. The hold on her hands lessened and Ginny found that Tom was nowhere in sight. Instantly, a nameless masked man forced her to rejoin the dance. He wore a Ravenclaw tie over his dress robes and, startled, Ginny realized that all these people were her schoolmates. Harry's mop of untidy black hair stood out from a corner of the room. He was wearing a white mask over his face, but his eyes followed her progress on the dance floor. With him stood her brother, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys, even Bill and Charlie!

The boy leading her in dance leant down as they twirled and whispered in her ear, "He's looking for you." At Ginny's surprised glance back at him, he continued. "He doesn't like sharing his toys. You're ogling Potter over there, and he's watching you from above."

Another man cut him off and stole Ginny away. This time, it was a Gryffindor tie that caught her attention on the boy's chest. "Forgive my friend. He knows not of what he speaks." Ginny's eyes wandered the crowds and even the high walls for Tom. But there was no need. His face was still as the couples went in circles around him. He never moved, only watched her. The boy dancing with her twirled her and let her go as she tried to make her way to her family. No one picked up the dance this time though.

A pair of hands took hers, and when she looked into the face of this man, Tom's eyes looked back at her.

"Not trying to run away, are you?" Her eyes went wide at his mocking tone, and she struggled against his hands. One hand was freed and she tried to run to the other side of the room where her family and Harry all watched her with growing interest. "Dance with me, princess!" The commanding voice was back again in his words as he tried to grab back her free hand. Thoroughly frightened, Ginny used her hand to wrench off the mask.

The marble dissolved back into stone, the exquisite angels all morphed back to snakes, and Ginny could breath easier without the green gown hugging her body. The sequenced mask in one hand, Ginny turned to Tom who was slapping himself on the forehead for letting her come back. The other hand that Tom had dropped when the Hall disappeared, Ginny held to her chest, trying to stifle the sound of her pounding heart.

"What happened to my little Ginny who would laugh until the sun came up?" Tom asked lamentably, staring at the stone under his palm. Ginny lowered her eyes, focusing on the memory of their entwined hands and spinning bodies. If she thought very hard on the memory, she could feel the blood twirling around in her head like it does when one spins around really fast. "You're ignoring the question." He sighed, annoyed. "Ever since you met that Malfoy brat, you've changed."

A sort of laugh mixed with a sob croaked from Ginny's throat and she realized her eyes were watering. _Damn tears._ Tom's eyes widened as he saw the tears falling off her face and he inched further away, always making sure she didn't come near him. "Tom, I've known Draco even longer than I've known you." Remembering, Tom saw in flashes being pulled out of Lucius Malfoy's pocket and slipped into a secondhand book. Ginny's book. How clever it had been!

As he saw the tears drift less and less frequently down her face, Tom grabbed her hand and proceeded to take a section of her robe to wipe all remaining traces of tears from her cheeks. Struggling, Ginny wrested her hand away from his grasp and fell down onto the stone floor with the effort. Seeing her there, trying to crawl away on the floor, Tom knelt down beside her, wanting to remind her what would happen if she decided to leave him.

"You will _die_ without me," was all he said. Ginny was still catching her breath and only looked at him solemnly. _If I'm with you, I'll die as well._ The last thoughts of that angelic dance glided out of her mind and it only made the moss-covered ground and walls seem all the more darker and ominous. His bottle-green eyes locked with hers, never flinching away or even blinking. There was no speculation that maybe he was lying. She could tell when he was lying because his right eye twitched slightly if she ever stared at him.

He may have lied to her about the date or that he would never hurt her, but this one thing that she wished with all her might was a lie, was the one thing that was the truth. The tears grazed at Ginny's eyelashes but with a will like she had never felt before, she was able to make them disappear again. She used to be strong, and independent, and rebellious. Now she would contort herself to match the expectations Tom set for her. Their souls were tied so tightly in a knot now that she couldn't escape with both of them alive.

Making his eyes sparkle, Ginny reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled back into the dance. Green is such a pretty color to shine, she thought, although his smirk did not reach his eyes. Like always, they were separate. Widened eyes showed amidst a gasp of fear and surprise as Ginny pushed Tom away. He looked at her, confused, as she held herself. "Your eyes, Tom. They're green…." Lacing their fingers together, Tom pulled Ginny back towards him, smiling through gritted teeth. He kept trying to force the mask over her head as he began to dance with her again, but she refused, insisting that she see what was really happening. "Please, Tom," Ginny pleaded, dragging her body to keep up with Tom's ever moving body around the floor. "Please, can we stop and… talk? Please."

Immediately, he dropped her hands, plopping "elegantly" onto the bed with a sigh. In silence they waited for a few seconds before Tom sighed again and summoned her to his side with a pat at the spot next to him. Whether in relief or fear, Ginny let out the breath she had been holding and obliged, curiously gazing at him.

"What?" he snapped. Ginny was taken aback but hid her surprise behind the glittering mask of discomfort. Taking her hand, Ginny reluctantly raised it to Tom's cheek, pausing when he flinched away.

"Your eyes, Tom. They're green," she stated hesitantly, flipping his hair out of his eyes with the back of her fingers. Tom tried humoring her by goggling with widened eyes so she could clearly see all of the green that was physically possible unless she spooned out his eyes and put them in a jar on her desk. But there was no flush in Ginny's cheeks or a change in her expression as she expected an answer, so he just rolled his perfectly green eyes at her.

"Talk about a news flash, my brainy little alchemist. It just so happens, that my eyes have _always_ been green." Frowning, she grabbed both sides of Tom's face and forced him to remain staring into her eyes as she dived into the depths of his soul through the empty green eyes he wore. With a soft snarl, Tom pushed her hands away, causing her body to fall against the bed as he stood up and leant against the wall. But as she continued to watch him wearily, he began to grow aggravated. "What?"

"They weren't green before. They were a sort of… coal, or maybe dark blue. How is it that your eyes can change color overnight if you aren't a metamorphosis or something like that?" Throughout this talk, a look of shock was blooming more and more apparent on Tom's face.

He murmured nonchalantly to himself, allowing Ginny to pull him back down next to her on the bed. "It can't… too soon… Ginny? No… It's just… it can't happen now… Not now… Oh God, not now!" He just kept muttering to himself, no matter how many ways Ginny tried to soothe him.

"Breathe, Tom. Take a long, deep breath." At her sweet-talk, he inhaled sharply a few times until his lids opened to reveal green eyes tainted around the edges by brown. With another breath he was able to form an intelligent sentence for the first time in the past five minutes. "What happened? When my eyes were coal or blue, or whatever else you said, I mean." Somehow, a mocking quality had crept into his voice when he mentioned the supposed colors of his eyes the other day. Ginny had paused, her hand halfway through his silky waves of midnight black when he had spoken. Her hand trembled, slightly mussing up the somewhat crimped style Tom's hair took as she thought of what to him. _How in the world can he not remember?_ Taking the hand from his hair and gently rubbing her arm, Ginny was uncomfortable with the thoughts eagerly bouncing around in her mind; wanting to get out. _I can still feel it? How can he not remember? I can still feel it…_

"You…." At his face, she decided that he needed to know everything. Whether he couldn't remember it, or he was just playing the innocent victim, Ginny didn't know. But she didn't care. She just hoped that Her Tom was different than the one she had met the previous night. "You slapped me around a bit. Hurt me a lot…" He had wondered where that gash on her temple had come from. Her neck was red and her voice hoarse from the screaming. Following his gaze, Ginny uncomfortably ran her fingers over the wound, wincing slightly. "Then you cast a spell on me." Those seven words brought out a panicky side in Tom that Ginny had never seen before.

"And what spell would that be, princess?" Trying to keep his cool, Tom nervously wrung his hands in his lap; missing the confused look Ginny gave him as she eyed his hands. All she did was blink, her doll eyes glassy yet beautiful even though they were blood-shot from all the sleep she had lost. "What spell, princess?" He asked again, taking her arm in his grasp, his fingernails leaving small marks along her arms. If her eyes had been wide before, you could now see all the white around her irises as she stared at the marks growing darker and darker in color. "What was the fucking spell, Virginia!"

Shivering from the flaming roots of her hair to the soles of her worn-out hand-me-down shoes, Ginny tried to pry his hand off of her, looking at anything but his mossy green eyes. She did not need another bruise from him. "What spell?" he questioned again, his breathing uneven as he tried to calm himself; the grip on her was relaxing. Ginny began rubbing out the marks on her arm, but Tom, his eyes wide open, caught both her hands and pulled them to him. "Don't do that."

Defiantly staring up at him, Ginny held her gaze for a moment before lowering her head and spitting on the floor, right under the shadow of Tom's dangling feet. His eyebrow rose curiously, but still he held her hands, taking in some of their warmth gratefully until she tried to claw his face with her nails. With a hiss, he let her go and spitefully wiped away the blood from his cheek. Using her nails this time, Ginny tried to cut open her own flesh over his mark and something on her skin that Tom couldn't see. Angrily, he grabbed her hands again, making her glance at him. "I said, don't do that. Stop hurting yourself!"

"Oh, like you've never hurt yourself?" Ginny sarcastically whispered to him, trusting her voice to crack if she raised it. His eyes flickered to his own arms, and with a sigh, he let go of her arms to pull up his robes. On his arms, bare from his Slytherin robes, there were scars. Silver scars. Red scars. Brown scars. Faded scars. For a second, Ginny just traced some of the prominent ones. At the indifference in his eyes, Ginny lowered her head to his arms and did something she had learned as a child that would heal wounds. She kissed each scar she saw lightly- innocently- and when she finished, her smile glowed again. He sneered to himself at her naïvety but at the same time, he wanted to caress this child that was there, watching him with doe eyes.

**_That's what she is, Tom. A child. An innocent baby that you stole from her cradle, making her face the world. She'll never feel for you!_** Tom swatted away these thoughts. I do not feel for her! He argued to himself. Love is a weakness! I just want to use her to get a body of my own! I just want her to… I mean, it wouldn't hurt if she loved me. **_Idiot! Leave her! Don't take a second glance back. Kill her and go get Potter. Kill her, Tom. _**You knew didn't you? Tom thought after a moment of consideration. You knew I would feel and sent her as a challenge. You can't make me love her! But… if she loved me… we could use that to our advantage. We could use that trust and get her to kill Potter for us. She doesn't have to die… **_Yes she does, Tom! She's your bloody weakness! She has to die!_** No, she doesn't. Oh dear lord, old chap… You have just become schizophrenic! Tom yelled at himself, his hand beating against his forehead.

Ginny almost laughed as she saw his head being knocked toward to one side or another with each thought that popped into his head. Shaking the stray thoughts out of his head, Tom was reminded of what had started all of this when he saw Ginny laughing like a five-year-old. The spell. "Princess?" Tom asked, taking a tuft of hair and pushing it behind her ear. Still chuckling every now-and-then, she looked up at him, all the laughter still evident in the way her eyes danced. Her lips were parted slightly, revealing perfect teeth. She was a little princess. His princess. Realizing he couldn't hurt her like this made him clench his hands into fists.

"Tell me a story, Tom," she asked, laying her head on his lap and looking up at him. He gulped, hoping his shock did not show on his face. She wanted a story? He used to tell her stories when nightmares came. Now her life was a nightmare, and she wanted a story from him again. She needed a story to lull her to sleep. Well, he supposed he had promised her one…

"A story?" Rubbing her eyes, she nodded. "Well… all right then. Once upon a time," he began, "a king and queen wished and wished for a child. At last their wish was granted; a princess was born. To celebrate this joyous occasion, the king and queen decided to throw a great party, and sent out invitations to all corners of the land. The queen even asked the three fairies whom resided in the Enchanted Wood to attend; this proved to be a grave error, as the queen had forgotten about the mountain fairy, a jealous creature prone to anger…" Her breathing was even by this part, and Tom knew she must have fallen asleep in his arms. Uncomfortable at how to deal with this angel, completely at his mercy, he just continued in his recitation of the classic Muggle fairytale he had heard narrated in sweet whispers to distraught orphans.

By the end of the story, Ginny was cuddling tight against Tom's chest, her hair falling daintily over her face. The light made the Weasley hair seem blood red, running down her face like an omen. Shaking the thought out of him, Tom was surprised to find that he was saddened to see Ginny's eyes opened, watching him through the web of her hair. Not quite awake yet, she tried to blink the sleep out of her. Tom moved her weight closer to him and moved away all of her hair to gaze upon her face. "Five more minutes, Mommy…" Laughing slightly, Tom nodded, watching Ginny's eyes flutter as she tried to stay awake.

"Go back to sleep, princess. I'm sorry to have woken you." Ginny smiled before snuggling against him. The cold in the room made her breath show in crystallite clouds and Tom carefully laid her on the bed, pulling the covers over her. He would just have to wait until she awoke again after a night of restlessness to ask his question.

Her dreams were different this time, and when she awoke, a smile was on her face. For the first time that month, her dreams did not have snakes in them, or monsters, or even that evil Tom. No. Her dreams that night were filled with fairies and dancing. She had been a princess, wearing beautiful gowns and all, but that evil fairy had made her sleep for a long time before Harry came on his horse and kissed her back to life. At least she thought it was Harry? She had awoken as she received the kiss. All she saw of her rescuer was his head, silhouetted by the light on the ceiling. She could clearly see his green eyes and black hair. Oh, she just knew Harry would save her!

Tom was fitfully sleeping on one of the chairs by Ginny's bed. Cocking her head to the side, she watched him momentarily, knowing he had been guarding her while she slept. Careful to be quiet, Ginny slipped out of the covers and let her feet fall to the ground without a sound. Slipping past Tom without waking him was another story altogether. But she managed it, and headed for the door before looking down when she felt the chill. Her school clothes were gone and she was wearing a petite white nightgown that flowed when she walked. Her eyes flickering to Tom's restless body, Ginny was unnerved. Had he undressed her while she slept? Had he done anything else to her?

Tossing in his sleep under the careful watch of Ginny, Tom snapped his eyes open and for one moment seemed perplexed at where he was. Then he saw Ginny watching him. "Princess…" he started, rubbing his eyes before sitting up, moaning slightly as his back cracked. There was a scrunchie around her wrist, and Ginny whimpered to herself as she realized someone had put her hair into pigtail braids while she slept. But she hadn't written anything on the wall. The dream couldn't come true. Could it?

His lips curved into a smile as he eyed her body through the near-transparent nightgown. Blushing, Ginny tried to cover as much of her body with her hands as she could. "Can I have my clothes back, Tom… please?" His eyes were traveling up and down her body, and despite the persistence of her hands, they did not help to cover much from his gaze. "Please… stop looking at me."

"I for one did not take your clothes, princess. And I doubt that your parents would buy you such a… skimpy outfit to sleep in." Even with her scowl, Tom couldn't help but laugh. "It must be the bed. I mean, from what I hear… Slytherin was a big person in bed. He had himself two… sometimes three girls a night. Only half were willing, but…" His voice trailed off as her eyes widened at the mention of Slytherin's name. "Oh, bloody hell."

"So this is Slytherin's bed. And this is the Chamber of Secrets." Tom seemed annoyed at her constant talking, and he dug under the bed until he found a latch. When he pulled it, Ginny looked down to see that her clothes were back on her and the nightgown was nowhere in sight. Although, she wasn't so sure she'd be able to forget the… yearning look in his eyes when he first noticed the nightgown. Seeing she would not get an answer, Ginny shuffled her feet, embarrassed.

"Let's talk about something else, shall we?" His voice was still amused, but Ginny ignored it as she dejectedly nodded her head. "So, Gin, what spell did I use on you yesterday?" Tom was harsh with his words, but he had waited hours to find out, and she wouldn't distract him this time. "Tell me." He reached out for her arm, but with her eyes wide, she yelped out her answer.

"Cruciatus."

All was silent as Tom watched Ginny breathe in and out, refusing to believe what she had just said. Her eyes kept darting to the corner of the socket to see what he would do and then back to her flexing fingers before repeating the cycle. An intake of breath from her launched him into his current state of shock.

"I-" Tom sputtered, unable for the first time in his life to speak coherently. "I…" Sniffing in a great deal of air, he closed his eyes and finished his sentence. "I couldn't have done that, Gin." His head was shaking and out of his mouth came a laugh too nervously given to be natural. "Why do you have to lie to me?" His fingers were clenching and unclenching in a pattern as he stood and walked through the open door to climb up his ancestor's statue. Ginny's eyes narrowed dangerously, taking a leaf out of Tom's book as she stalked after him, yelling up to his perch from the ground.

"Oh! Why do _I _have to lie to _you_? You can't even truthfully tell me whether its Saturday or not!" Tom froze, glaring back at the fiery young girl. Such an outburst, while once common and frequent with the youngest Weasley, was now seen very sporadically. Her nature was becoming more timid and untrusting, and Tom could see that when she was not fighting the control over her mind, she was basically just a body for others to inhabit and nothing more. Right on time too…

He smirked. "Well, well, well. Is my old Ginny back to haunt me?" Ginny lowered her eyes and gave the silver ring on her left ring finger a twirl. Following her gaze, an odd smile came upon Tom's face. "Wherever did you get such a gorgeous ring, princess?" She pulled off the silver band and inspected it. Having not given it any former thought, as her attention had been on more important things, she never really saw the rose on it.

The silver shined and glinted off what light it could gather in the Chamber. On the plain, average band, was a silver rose bloom engraved in black at the edges. Just the edges alone, but it made a great contrast against her pale finger.

"It was… on my hand in the Hospital Wing after Halloween… and," Ginny squeezed her hand, trying to remember where else she had seen it. It was like the memory was right at the edge of her awareness, but the more she reached for it, the further away it receded. Soon the memory would slip through her fingers like running water. Water… "And it was there when I tried to get the red paint off my hands. I don't remember where it came from." An evil grin wormed its way onto Tom's face in place of his smile.

"Well, now that's interesting." He took a section of her hair and began to twirl it until it bounced into a curl from his finger. "Such a pretty little thing." Ginny wasn't sure if he was talking about her or the ring. "Let's not lose that." The flash in his eyes when he gave her an innocent smile- the one that, a month ago, would have melted her on the spot- surprisingly gave her chills.

Shaking her hair until it slipped from his fingers, Ginny moved his hands off of her shoulders before one latched onto her right arm. Wanting to get away, she tried to pull her arm from his hold and ended up skittering across the puddles on the floor, spiraling headfirst into the freezing water.

Splashing around and gasping for air, Ginny managed to pull herself up onto the dry floor and she lay there face up, her eyes closed, shivering in cold- or was it anticipation? Fighting laughter, Tom covered his mouth with his hand, hiding his smile from her sight.

But she had already seen it, and she could not be angrier.

Glaring at the laughing Tom Marvolo Riddle, she pushed herself into an upright position, and with just a teeny bit of help from a snake statue, she stood defiantly in front of Tom. All he did was brush his icy fingers across her cheek, straying a little at her gash, and then winked before letting the laughter fill his mouth.

Ginny stepped backwards in a moment of fright before regaining her composure and smiling in the place of screaming for help. No one would ever hear her screams for help no matter how loud she was, so she might as well save her energy to stop her dream from happening. She had unconsciously splashed some water at Tom, and it made his hair dangle annoyingly before his eyes. Tom tossed his locks out of his face and stared straight into her eyes with a glowing passion. The intensity behind those shining green orbs startled her.

"Tom…."

"Yes, my princess. My little Sleeping Beauty." Why did he have to go and comment on her beauty? Virginia knew that she was plain, and she accepted it as a part of life. She was grateful for her fiery hair to give her some form of loveliness, but it was always hidden in hairstyles that would show no one the color. Now that she was at Hogwarts, she didn't care much for standing out.

But every time Tom went and called her beautiful, she felt so embarrassed and like such a fraud for letting him lie to her like that. She was taught that lies were horrible, and he lied to her almost every day, mainly for her own conscience. And she let him. When she first met him, she had stolen some of her mum's makeup and put it on, just to feel more sophisticated when he talked to her. She mentioned the eye shadow and lipstick she was wearing and he had told her to take it off; that she didn't need it. Tom was kind in this manner.

"Tom… I have to go. I'm… late. Yes, that's right. I'm late for mass. I go every Sunday." Tom drew up to his full height, towering over her. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, stumbling as she backed away. She only stopped when the distance between them was enough so that she could turn her back to him and run with the speed of a wind fairy.

"Ginny!" she heard Tom call from where he stood. He wouldn't come after her. As soon as she left the Chamber, she'd be back in her own world, and he was too weak to follow. "Gin! Don't cry, princess." Her legs protested, burning angrily, but she was so near the exit. Only five more steps. Four more. Three. Two. As she slipped around the corner and out of sight, she covered her mouth to stifle a sob so he would not hear her. She fell against the wall, her legs too weak to support her weight. The reason she cried was because she had heard his last pleading cry as she rounded the corner. "Virginia!"

Making her way up to the dormitory, Ginny trudged along, dragging her feet behind her. Light was filtering oddly from the many windows and she half-heartedly eyed the oncoming sunset. Sunrise to sunset, she had been in that Chamber, missing the glorious day and coming out only to dance about in the shadows. Mass was soon. Every Sunday, the church in Hogsmeade held a huge Sunday night mass for all the townsfolk and their children. Besides being the only fully wizard-inhabited town in the United Kingdom, Hogsmeade was also the only town in the United Kingdom that was still fully catholic.

Hogsmeade took great pride in their beautiful cathedral. Witches and wizards of all ages and backgrounds would come to ogle at its splendor. People who came on a regular basis were scarce and mainly consisted of Ultra-orthodox families and teachers from Hogwarts.

Ginny was raised within one of these families and at her mother's coaxing and her own intuition, she had begged for permission to go to Sunday night mass every week. Professor McGonagall approved of this and supervised her personally, as she always went to mass herself.

Years ago, all they had in the town for religious purposes was the cathedral. But for the spiritual benefit of the students and to persuade them to have religion away from their families, the town had added many new Protestant churches and even one small synagogue. Her brothers would accompany her grudgingly on special occasions and when their mother heard of what they really did in Hogsmeade during the time when they were supposed to go to church. But generally, they spent the entire time at Zonko's joke shop and Honeydukes.

Weasley boys were different from Weasley girls. Weasley girls were raised from a young age to have their religion enforced upon them. Whereas… Weasley boys spent every Sunday fishing or whatever their father felt like doing. And because of that, all of Ginny's brothers except Percy and Charlie, who would bring her to church when she was little, did not even believe there was a God.

Ginny, however, went like a good child should every week in the new clothes that her mum would sew especially for her. It was all she had as a link to a world she had never truly explored. A world outside the Burrow…

The bells from Saint Sebastian's, the cathedral in Hogsmeade, began to ring, startling Ginny back to reality. They rang a powerful, enchanting melody, bidding and hypnotizing the entire town to come. "Miss Weasley, are you coming?" Professor McGonagall's rough voice came from the doorway to Gryffindor Tower, where she stood wearing a conservative purple dress robe with a collar that made her look like a vicar.

Surprisingly, all of her brothers were standing beside the upright woman and a few obscure other teachers, looking eagerly at the money they had 'hidden' in their pockets for later. Ginny lowered her eyes to see what condition her clothes were in, but deemed them appropriate and took Ron's hand to walk down the stairs. No one else seemed to be coming. No one besides them ever came.

**Ginny's POV: **Reverend Lawrence had us all standing, heads bowed to look at the Bibles open in our hands. No one but the professor was really speaking the words, but the rest, looking around in boredom and were mouthing along half-heartedly.

"_And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, 'If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return… I will offer it up for a burnt offering.'"_

At the front of the church there was a stained-glass window of an angel with black hair and green eyes. There was a large chip of glass missing from one of the angel's eyes, leaving only shards of jade like a gaping wound. I stared at the hole and said nothing, following everyone else's example and mouthing along to my Bible verse, listening as the rhythmic words swirled around me.

"…_and the Lord delivered them into his hands…"_

Professor McGonagall turned slightly to look at me awkwardly. Normally I participated eagerly, drowning out the words of those around me. She must have thought something was wrong.

"_And Jephthah came… unto his house, and behold, his daughter came out to meet him… and she was his only child…"_

If I stared too hard, the hole grew and the angel disappeared into the darkness. But if I accidentally blinked, I saw the angel once again, not the hole, and I had to start all over again.

"…_when he saw her… he rent his clothes and said, 'Alas, my daughter! Thou hast brought me very low… for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back…" _

I tried to close my book then and walk out to go find my brothers, but the professor turned to inspect me from her position, still praying. Hurriedly, I buried my face in my Bible and read along with renewed fervor.

"… _And she said unto her father, 'Let this be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains and bewail my virginity…'"_

Some girls in the back row started to snicker at this. Following their escaped laughter was a loud chorus of shushing from teachers from the school along with some parents and citizens of the town.

"… _And he sent her away… and she went with her companions… upon the mountains." _

Reverend Lawrence closed his Bible. "Thus sayeth the Lord. Let us pray."

There was a wave of shuffling and thumping as everyone sat and made to pass their Bibles down to the end of their corresponding row. McGonagall was still praying silently and I held my frayed book in front of her. With her eyes closed in prayer, she did not see me.

Wanting nothing more than to leave this place where a brilliantly lit crucifix looked down on me, judging my every move, I let go, letting the Bible crash onto her unsuspecting lap. Freed from the weight, I ignored her glaring and went back to staring at the angel. I stared so long and hard that the angel seemed to move. It was the dark coming in, I guess, making everything hazy. But for just a moment, I swear that I saw the angel's wings fluttering and the hands tighten on the ruby-encrusted sword. The sword, wanting to be noticed, cleaved through the snake on the ground quick as a scythe. I looked away and it's all gone. A trick of the light…

I saw, too, for a few moments, my vision fall upon the seven tall candles upon the table. At first they wore the aspect of charity, and seemed white slender angels who would save me: but then, all at once, there came a most deadly nausea over my spirit, and I felt every fiber in my frame thrill, as if I had touched the crack in a broken wand, while the angel forms became meaningless specters, with heads of flame, and I saw that from them there would be no help.

And then, there stole into my feelings, like a rich musical note, the thought of what sweet rest there must be in the grave. The thought came gently and stealthily, and it seemed long before it attained my full attention; but just as my spirit came at length properly to feel and entertain it, the figures of the angels on the walls and everywhere else vanish, as if magically, from before me. The tall candles sank into nothingness; their flames went out utterly; the blackness of darkness supervened; all sensations appeared swallowed up in a mad rushing descent as of the soul into Hades. Then silence, and stillness, and night were the entire universe.

Ginny slumped into her chair just as the bell rang, echoing loudly in the prison that was the Potions classroom. Beside her, posing as her partner was the ever-happy Tirza who was too busy chattering away with Blaine and Nessa, a row behind them, to notice.

Blaine and Nessa quieted upon seeing Ginny. Nessa kept exchanging nervous glances with Blaine and the back of Ginny's head. Blaine, however, slammed her book shut and glared angrily at Ginny, notifying Tirza of who was there.

Snape stormed into the room, and noticing the tension between the four roommates, he switched Lesley and Ginny to avoid a confrontation. Curiously gazing at the exhausted Weasley, Tirza's smile made him try and forget that this was the innocent little girl who had called his unfortunate daughter a slut.

Tirza 'discreetly' switched with Blaine, who was watching Lesley with a silent horror, to talk with Ginny.

"Hey Ginny. Feeling better? I guess you are. How are you holding up?" Groggily lifting up her head, Ginny noticed Tirza smiling like some chipper, deranged Barbie ® doll. She wished her a thousand deaths. Opening her mouth to answer, Ginny bit her lip. Tirza had become distracted in a heated conversation between Nessa and the Slytherin twin. She hadn't even bothered to wait for the answer. Little Miss Snape was too good for a pathetic little Weasel like Ginny.

"Weasley!" Snape bellowed from his desk, causing her to jump. Blushing, Ginny closed her eyes from the laughing and giggling that resulted. Blaine looked smug, whereas Tirza and Nessa continued to converse with Lesley.

"Yes, Professor Snape?" Snape's eyes floated over to his daughter's section, but then he focused on Ginny.

"I do believe your assignment is clearly written on the board." A ruler by his desk was whapped onto the chalkboard, making Ginny jump once more. More laughter… "Get to work!" And her life was back to normal. Well, as normal as it was to be a Weasley.

An uncomfortable sensation started in the pocket of her robe. It was a prickling or a burning of sorts. Realizing what it was, and at the same time, her stupidity, Ginny emptied everything from her pockets until she could feel the leather diary. Like it was a prize, she laid it out carefully upon her potions textbook.

The Slytherin beside her, an Asian pureblood witch named Kim Van Tranh, gave Ginny the oddest look for practically idolizing this book, which, by the name engraved on it, wasn't even hers. But Ginny ignored her and kept her busy by adding all her fifty rat-skulls to the potion at the same time. Needless to say, nearly half the castle was blown up.

Tom was writing in his journal, something that Ginny should not have access to. Something he didn't want her to see… Something that he didn't want anyone, not even her, to know.

Ginny was disappointed when she saw that only three words were written.

**_It was Voldemort._**

That was all she remembered…

"The time is approaching, Milord." The servant bowed ceremoniously before his master's throne in the darkness. A smile grew on the master's shadowed face as he observed the far-off silhouette of the looming castle out the window.

The servant joined him in staring at the dark figure in the distance. "And the girl?" the master asked, growling instead of talking with his voice only half-present. But the way he spoke- the happiness evident in his tone- sent chills of terror down his loyal servant's spine.

"Please, Milord. You must be rested in order to regain your strength; the girl is trivial compared to your well-being. Please allow us to nurse you back to health tonight." The master let out a cold laugh.

"But I am strong. With every breath that girl takes, I get stronger." He casually dropped a question to his servant. "The time is approaching, is it?" Uneasily, the servant nodded.

Turning away, the master made sure that no one in the room saw his evil smile, the smile that wizards everywhere would soon have nightmares about seeing.

"Excellent."

Happy late Valentine's, or commercialized lovers', day to all! Here is my present to all of you. Chapter 6! Read (well, if you are reading this, I think you read the chapter but I don't know how you readers work.) and review to your heart's desire. A big thanks to my new beta whom I have been searching for someone like for over a year and a half. I love you Rea! (Rea Yume is her penname on here and fictionalley) and a special thanks to kittybro for being the only reviewer last... er... note. And she made me feel special. You inspired me kittybro! And now, reviewer response time!

strawberry-heavens: You were my first reveiwer for the revised edition of my baby. Thank you so much. I tried not to fumble with details so much, as you put it, and thank you for the critisim because my beta said the same thing.

Blair A.: Thank you, and as you can plainly see, I am keeping it going.

smelly old men that shout: er... I've been meaning to mention your... interesting penname. I love how original it is. I did read your stories, don't know if I reviewed or not, but they were very nicely written. And I invented those puppy dog eyes.

your bff, right: Hey Leslie, I already clarified about the mix-up. Thanks for the compliment and I passed on the message. And I did 'hurry the hell up' as you put it.

Vanessa Nicole Sisseck: Thank you so much. I love you and I'll see you soon. P.S. Have I reviewed your fic yet?

Rhysenn Riddle: Well, thank you, I know. Here's more for you.

CPegasus: I try. I hated the first chapter though...

Just Kate:takes a bow: Thank you so much, I know there are mistakes, but I have been trying since my fic was first on this site in August 2003 to get a beta and I only just got one. Thanks again.

kittybro: I'm glad I caused an obsession. I have OCD so I'm always obsesed with things, you can ask anyone who knows me. I'm not too fond of Potter either. I'm a complete Riddle freak. I update as soon as a procrastinator like me can. And thanks again for being the only reviewer on my note.

Emmie-poo: Yeah, I know he's in hiding and thanks for the comment. Oh and P.S. why are you using my penname cookiedough?

Caity: I didn't mind you reading it, just not around me. Yes, we are still on my baby.

someone: Thanks. I'm trying to cut down my chapters though. Like, if it's more than fifteen typed pages now, I'm cutting it in half.

Riddled-Slytherin: I try to make an intricate web. Sorry, I had to use that phrase at least once this reviewer response time. I will.

halfdemon-kasumi: Thanks. Feel free to review as well.

Sienna: I'll be more cautious next time. Thankyou.

If you ask questions in your reiew, I will answer them. Loosely or specifically, it depends on the questions. But whether in email, AIM, AOL, or reviewer response time, I will answer all of your questions.

Disclaimer: I totally ripped off Phantom of the Opera for the whole ball thing, but I found it worked quite well with my fic. Parts of the church scene are taken from a book by Libba Bray. I don't know if they're real Bible verses or not, and if I messed up in the church scene, it's because I'm Jewish. Okay...

Bye y'all. See you soon, I hope. And I hope you all had a happy singles awareness day! I mean... er... Valentine's day.

Emma Riddle


	7. A Change in Me

There's a beast at the door  
And he's wild and free  
But we don't let him in  
'Cause we don't want to see  
What is lurking  
Right behind the façade.

Jekyll & Hyde, Façade

* * *

Stained with Ink 

Waking up, Ginny tried to stretch as inconspicuously as she could, expecting a cold stare from Snape for nodding off in class. In her mind, after all that had happened already, the last thing she needed was detention. With the frosty stones embracing the classroom, blocking out all sunlight, opening your eyes after a nap in Potions was never hazardous. But what Ginny saw as she opened her eyes, was bright sunlight on an open field overlooking the lake. What had awoken her was a burley shadow, towering high over her curled body that continued to poke her gently on the arm, as if it didn't notice her eyes had opened.

"Ha-" Yawn. "Hagrid?" she asked, rubbing her eyes to rid any lingering signs of sleep. The shadow looked surprised and took a step back, letting the rays of the sun he had been blocking fall onto Ginny's face. Shielding her eyes, she winced. Seemingly surprised, the shadow's face then took on a look of nervousness and a little embarrassment. But without the sun's rays silhouetting the back of his head, Ginny could see she was right, it was Hagrid. So why was she all of a sudden afraid of being caught?

"Miss- ah…" Again, Hagrid seemed shy almost. Her red hair billowed in the wind. "Weasley, I'm 'bout to guess. Ginny, right?" Nodding suspiciously, Ginny stopped herself and made her face contort to that of an innocent lost little first-year. It was less likely she'd be in trouble that way. "I've caught you wandr'ing these halls since Halloween, Miss Weasley. Whatch are you doin', not goin' to class, and at yer age! And to top that off, you've been sleeping in the middle of the day? I don' understand it, Miss Weasley."

Ginny relaxed into what she hoped was a look of shy sheepishness. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was so dreadfully tired. Ever since Filch's cat was attacked, I've been so worried." Hagrid appeared to look sympathetic, so Ginny continued, milking it for what it was worth. "I haven't been sleeping much, and I was tired. That's all! Oh, please Hagrid; don't report me to Professor McGonagall. I swear it'll never happen again." Under her breath, she muttered, "At least under your watch." Hagrid was still unconvinced. "Oh, please…."

After careful consideration for a moment, he conceded. Smiling gratefully, Ginny pushed the hair that was falling in front of her face behind her ears, letting her small face be shown. Her secret onlooker watched her movement silently, her moment of innocence and gratefulness reminding him of how she had been before. Before Hogwarts, before she first glimpsed the great castle, way before when she hadn't even owned a diary, before the whole Tom fiasco…

Brushing the dust off of her robes, Ginny noticed several bloody feathers covering parts of her robes. Some were drifting lazily, yet others fell heavily with blood through the air to the ground. Seeing her distaste for the feathery addition to her wardrobe, and noticing her gasp, Hagrid blushed again.

"Oh… ah, sorry 'bout that, Miss. That would prolly be my fault." He reached deep into his overcoat and pulled out a limp, strangled, and entirely dead chicken. Ginny shrieked out loud this time, and backed away to where she looked as if she was trying to climb up onto the side of the school like a spider. "You should be goin' inside for tea now, Miss Weasley. It'd wake you up nice 'n' good. I'll be cleanin' up this mess." Baffled, and with some slight thoughts of Hagrid being crazy running through her mind, Ginny quickly scrambled up and stared at the enormous metal clock of the Time Dragon base. 5:45. But… Potions class was her first class on Mondays, directly following breakfast. _The clock must be wrong! _Ginny thought. _Either that or you need to get some caffeine in you, Ginny girl._ At the crass stroke of the Time Dragon clock, Ginny realized she must have been missing for over half the day, not just taking a short nap in the most boring class of all time as she had thought.

So, why couldn't she remember anything she had done?

_

* * *

_

_Chickens merrily strode around, lording it over the garden. Stealthily, Ginny saw fragile hands reach out for one. The chicken still clicked and clucked about, oblivious, until the hands, which Ginny now recognized as her own, found their way to it. Trying to make as much noise as possible, it squirmed and tried to escape, but Ginny held fast to its delicate neck. Tightening her hands, she heard the resulting snap of the bone and dropped the now limp chicken to the floor; her body was tingling with an awkward sort of pleasure. She reached for another one…

* * *

_

_No!_ Ginny thought loudly to herself. _You're just scaring yourself. _Hagrid looked up as he heard the boom of the main doors hitting against the stone as a sudden multitude of Slytherins burst through the oak doors, each filing behind Draco as they prepared for yet another session of Quidditch practice. In each of their hands, was what Ron had described feverously to her just the week before as a gleaming, bullet-like, black, perfect broomstick with the label 'Nimbus 2001' engraved into its handle. Draco turned to speak to one of his teammates, and Ginny felt her mouth drop open at the hatred she could see in his eyes even at such a distance.

Obviously, his father had given him a good "talking to" after he had seen Slytherin's pathetic excuse for a Quidditch game. Not many people could miss a golden orb hovering about three inches above your head; if you did, you were pathetic. Worse still, if you, by any chance, were a pompous, bloody, heir to a vast Malfoy fortune, well, to put it bluntly, you were just screwed.

"You should go on now," Hagrid stated, surprising Ginny with the knowledge that, he too, had been watching the Slytherin team. He sighed heavily, "S' not safe fer a first-year to wander about all on 'er own nowadays. Now that this _heir_ is on the loose." A dark shadow wormed its way across his face, and Ginny pondered as to why.

The roles of the two different sets of people had been switched. It was now the Slytherins who were all watching the two; Draco's grip on the handle was shaking his broom violently from side to side. Ginny chose to ignore this and, still watching Hagrid, flipped her hair out of her eyes in a way very characteristic of Tom. This made her onlooker smile in delight.

This was when Ginny noticed that she was still crouched on the floor, and had been ever since Hagrid has shown her that… disgustingly deceased creature. Her small book bag was lying beside her, and Ginny knew without a doubt, if she chose to look, a fresh quill and a black leather diary would be the first thing visible. The diary! She had to talk to Tom about why she couldn't remember that day. _But… he might- no Ginny! He will not bid you to go to him, and he will definitely not curse you again. Just… go see him. And do not under any circumstances make him angry._

All the blood rushed to her head as she leapt purposefully to her feet, resulting in her having to use the aid of the wall to steady her. "Careful now, Miss Weasley…." Hagrid scolded, his eyebrows raised into that mat of thing called his hair. Ginny bit her lip, waiting until the world stopped spinning around. "Slow down a bit, let the dizziness pass."

She pushed her way through the Slytherins, noticing how they laughed when she nearly toppled over their conveniently and "entirely coincidentally" placed brooms. As she was about to break free of the group completely, Ginny felt a cold hand grab her upper arm. Swerving in a semi-circle to avoid landing on the floor again from this abrupt halt, Ginny found herself face-to-face with Draco.

Pulling her arm away from his, she took a step back into Marcus Flint, but she didn't seem to notice. Draco was looking at her with the most doleful eyes, eyes that he would never show to anyone else. Perhaps Daddy had been too harsh with his only little boy.

Again biting her lip until she could taste the sweet tang of fresh blood, Ginny summoned the nerve she needed to walk away and run as fast as she could to the main door, struggling to heave open the heavy doors. The Slytherins laughed at her when she continued to try and open the resisting door, stopping only when Draco opened the door for her, exaggerating his moves in front of his teammates in a mock display of gentlemanly behavior, but when he turned, she could see the sincerity in his eyes.

The entrance hallway was filled with wandering students, all shouting salutations to one another and chatting idly. With a hint of a smile, three brothers pounced on Ginny when they saw she had entered the room and led her to the Great Hall. Fred, George, and Ron poured themselves a round of tea and drank, all trying to involve Ginny in their conversations. "Ginny, where have you been?" Percy reprimanded as he lowered himself next to the quartet. Protesting, rather loudly one might add, the brothers fought for their little sister. Ginny's expression was confused as they for once fought her battle. The twins began reminding Percy of all the mistakes he had made when he was a first-year while Ron listed things he had done at home that were not so pleasant until he grudgingly backed out of the room.

"So, Skinny Ginny," George said in the typical nasally high voice that mothers use to coo to their young children. "What be the new news with you?" Despite his joking, he seemed so interested, and Ginny wondered why. She knew her brothers all despised her. **_Yes, they do. They all despise you, Gin. Every single one of them..._**

_Yes, yes they do…_

But after a minute of silence, Fred repeated the question; identical to the way his twin had said it. Feeling the comfort of the black leather through the thin material of her school bag, Ginny thought maybe she should tell them all about Tom. Maybe they would agree to meet him. _And pound his face into a bloody pulp when I mention what he did to me. Then again, maybe it's not the best idea I've ever had._

"Oh, school's been loads of fun. I missed you guys. We should have a family night next week," Ginny proposed hopefully, her face glowing. Fred and George each agreed, their mouths stuffed with rolls, but Ron protested.

"Can't. Sorry, Skinny Ginny, but I have… plans with 'Mione and Harry. Maybe we could take a rain-check?" Ginny was smiling, but her soul was cringing. Tom was right. They didn't care for her. "Actually, I have to go now. 'Mione told me to meet her." He grabbed a roll for the trip there, kissed Ginny on the forehead, and walked out. Fred and George stayed and continued to tease Ginny about random things until Lee Jordan called them out of the room. Waving their reply to him, they repeated the same action Ron had done before leaving.

Gloomily, Ginny opened her book bag, taking out the quill, ink, and her Diary. Looking around, she saw over half the people had gone, and the other half in the midst of leaving. She opened the book, and took a sip of tea while thinking of what to write. Carelessly, she let a drop of tea fall onto the blank page. Ginny froze for what seemed like an eternity as it disappeared. Then the writing came. The green, fluid, beautiful script looped its way across the page: _**I love tea.** _

Ginny covered her mouth and set the tea down, noticing with a start that he had seen what she wrote. Unless she had taken her original diary back in her hurry, it should be him that must start the link with her… _Sorry_, she wrote in a hurry. _I was foolish, and I'm sorry. _She imagined Tom sighing as he read that. _Tom, _she wrote before he had the chance to respond.

_Where was I today?_

_**I have no idea at all. **_

_I think I'm losing my memory. There are rooster feathers all over my robes and I don't know how they got there._

_**Poor Gin. **_

_Don't pity me, please… I don't need your pity._

_**Well, that's a change of pace. What's wrong? I know… Why don't we have a long talk, the way we used to? You should come down here straight away.**_

_Oh, Tom. Finally someone understands how much I need to just talk. No one's ever understood me like you, Tom… _

_**Well, I'm one of a kind.**_

It's… strange really…

_**What is?**_

_The way I can confide in you. Don't get me wrong; I'm so glad I've got this diary to confide in… It's like having a friend I can carry around in my pocket. But… it seems strange I don't have any friends I can actually talk to in real life._

_**You don't need friends like that. You have me. I'm all you'll ever need.**_

_I wish that were true… We do need to talk. I'll be right down._

_**Oh, no. Don't leave your tea just for me. Enjoy your tea as if I were there with you. We can chat about the weather or something until you're done. **_

_Are you sure, Tom? It would easier for me just to come down there. Like you said, and I can actually talk to you. _

_**Of course not! Besides, the longer we talk, the more we can talk in public later.**_

_I don't understand…_

_**Just seeing your handwriting even, makes everything feel… solid.**_

_I don't understand what you mean at all, Tom._

_**Oh, nothing, nothing at all. **_

_I'm coming down. Now…to see you… This can't wait. _

While she was collecting her things and brushing the crumbs off her robes, Ginny realized that the Hall was strangely empty for that time of day. Normally, hordes of students and teachers would be down here… but not now. Only one person, a man shrouded by a raggedy black robe was there, hunched over his cup of tea, watching her openly. Closing her eyes, Ginny brushed away that strange feeling you have when you know someone is watching you.

As she stepped into the entrance hall, she carried her book bag awkwardly as she tried to fit her books into it while she walked. An incredible silence that Ginny had never heard the like of filled the room. Each step she took echoed around her, always growing softer and softer every second before they were joined by another footstep. Her thoughts began to blur together like rainwater on a canvas where she couldn't perceive or hear anyone else near.

That was the time she began to regret her decision when she allowed her father to sweet-talk her into watching those stupid, Muggle, _American_ horror movies. She could practically see those little blonde girls jumping rope, their pigtails bouncing up and down as they sang, "One two; Freddy's coming for you. Three, four; Better lock your door. Five, six; Grab your…" _Stop it Ginny. You're only scaring yourself. _She nearly screamed out loud when one of her Transfiguration classmates, a Hufflepuff girl with blonde pigtails named Emilia, ran by, disappearing around the bend without a sound.

Passing the Hufflepuff portrait hole, faint noises were present from another corridor nearby. Books and other things were being slapped down onto a stone floor. Baffled for a split-blonde-moment, Ginny glanced downward at her feet shuffling on the carpet. Unless you were in the entrance hall, the only other place you would find marble flooring would be the hallways. Unless you were in the dungeon, the only other place you'd find a stone flooring would be… the bathroom.

The noise continued to grow louder as Ginny neared the somewhat strangely familiar Mahogany door… All of a sudden, she had to caress her head to keep the visions at bay.

_Snakes, chambers, Tom, pain, Tom, diaries, Tom, Slytherin, Tom, nightgowns, Tom…_

Like eerie music, noise danced around her head in circles as she creaked open the door just a tad. There was a clamber of a brass pot and some hushed whispering because some house elves couldn't take time out of their busy schedule to oil some hinges. Pushing open her stall door, Hermione took a breath and walked out into the center of the lavatory, gathering herself with each breath. At the sight of Ginny, she just sighed heavily and leaned against the wall.

"You shouldn't be here, Ginny!" She exclaimed exasperatedly. Ginny looked her up and down with hatred embedded in her eyes. In her heart, she knew that she should try her best to get along with one of her brother's best friends, and possible girlfriend… but Hermione just worked on Ginny's last nerve.

"I have as much right to be here as you do, _Hermione_," she said, trying to remain as neutral as Draco could be. Needless to say, she failed miserably, emotions spilling out of her ears. It always happened like this. Even on the train ride to Hogwarts, Ginny had been so nervous about first impressions as she sat huddled in Hermione's compartment. At first, when Hermione noticed her, she had just smiled half-heartedly and gone back to discussing their new course books with Neville.

Ron and Harry hadn't been there, and Ginny had never been angrier in her life. Ron had promised to stay with her and protect her, but he had to go off and have an adventure with his best friend, leaving her behind. Maybe if he had invited her along, she wouldn't have been so angry… But for another hour or so on the train, Ginny blathered incessantly to Tom before Hermione finally got sick of her presence. As nicely as she could, she tried to explain to Ginny that they were having a private conversation. Ginny was never an idiot. She just took one look at Neville snoring away, and Seamus who looked bored to death with Hermione and slammed her book shut, walking out to sulk.

Later, she had apologized to Tom for shaking him like that. He reacted with nothing but words of acceptance and love, and Ginny felt herself fall head over heels for him. Oh, she would give anything to have him back to being like that to her again…

"Just leave. Please Ginny. I'm trying to have an "adult conversation" if you don't mind…" Hermione flipped her hair out of her face. She claimed to be Ginny's best friend. Well, she was dead wrong and the only reason she was pretending was so Ron would be more accepting of her. Although sometimes Hermione could be nice, it felt good to know that very soon, someone would not be in the way to stop Ginny from hurting her.

"With who, Moaning Myrtle?" Ginny heard herself scream. Someone giggled girlishly at that, and Ginny turned to see Myrtle watching them both gleefully. "Please, I just need to stay for the obvious use…and I want to talk to somebody." Hermione looked around at the beaten, old bathroom while Ginny continued. "Though it appears you have beat me to him."

Her eyes were locked onto the worn-out tennis shoes she could see poking out from behind the stall door. Hermione glanced nervously at the door before biting her lip to keep from retorting. "Ginny, please get out! I need this space. And maybe Myrtle would like some company tomorrow." Her voice was laced with false sweetness. Ginny's eyes were watering but she kept her eyes firmly on the shoes. _See the shoes. Imagine those shoes walking down the hallway with blood on them. Dirty blood from where they stepped on the remains of an outspoken Mudblood. _

Realizing she had called her only friend who wasn't related to her a Mudblood; even if it was only in her thoughts, was what truly broke down Ginny. "Fine!" she literally cried as she broke the silence. Hoping to Merlin that Hermione could not see her tears, Ginny turned her nose into the air.

A grateful sort of snort came from the stall, causing Ginny to fume in anger. She couldn't even move. Her hands clenched, her eyes clamped shut, and her teeth ebbing into her lip so hard there was blood where she had ripped open her wound from the previous day, Ginny could only see the stars behind her eyes.

Lying discarded against the sink, her book bag waited for her claim. With one hand, she picked it up and pushed the door open. As soon as it closed behind her, Ron and Hermione could hear her penetrating, frustrated scream.

A slow, mournful march was coming from up the corridor, growing closer with each step. Ginny froze, before leaping into one of Filch's supply closets right across from the bathroom door. In the darkness, she could see nothing but brooms and mops that kept falling and hitting her as she stumbled her way to the back of the closet. Interesting… it seemed that in the closet there was only a thin wall separating her from a row of bathroom stalls such as the one where Hermione and Ron were. She could hear every single minute, unimportant, little thing they said… Excellent.

The oncoming person tripped over something in the hall and let out a string of loud and… well, highly imaginative curses. Ginny felt her face redden as she heard a particular one. She had never known you could do THAT with a broomstick.

Ron and Hermione abruptly stopped talking when they heard the noise and that's when Ginny froze with panic. She had left her book bag outside! And it had her name on it and everything… Oh Merlin… "Did you hear that?" came the low whisper from inside the bathroom. Ron began cursing their misfortune in less than the "quietest" tones, only stopping when something, most likely Hermione's hand, hit him.

The door to the bathroom creaked as it opened, bringing a shadowy, cloaked figure into the small view Ginny had through a peephole. The figure reached out with an uncovered hand, knocking three times in succession upon the stall door where Ron and Hermione were doing… something behind. Hermione let out a sigh of relief and swung open the door, narrowly missing the figure as she admitted him.

"Harry! You gave us such a fright- come in- how's your arm?" Hermione worried over him like an old Jewish mother. The figure- Harry was it? – squeezed into the stall, murmuring something Ginny missed as she rolled her eyes.

"We'd have come to meet you, but we decided to get started on the Polyjuice Potion," Ron explained. Harry brushed away his words and launched into a story about the day before, in the Hospital Wing, which strangely enough involved Draco's house elf, Dobby.

"And then they brought in Creevey…" Hermione was the one who interrupted now with her own pathetic little sob story. Ginny wasn't looking at them anymore, though she was still listening as she looked up into the depths of the closet, trying to hold in the tears.

"We already know- we heard Professor McGonagall-"

_Colin was attacked?_

"Telling Professor Flitwick this morning," Hermione told him gloomily.

_I told him to go. It's all my fault…_

"That's why we decided we'd better get going-"

_Why? What did Colin ever do to anyone?_

"The sooner we get a confession out of Malfoy, the better," Ron whole-heartedly agreed.

_They think the heir is Draco?_

"Break at least," Hermione stated as if it were obvious while she stirred.

_It can't be him._

"Maybe New Years. We all have to stay over."

_But… it would explain a lot…_

"Lucius Malfoy must've opened the Chamber when he was at school and now he's told dear old Draco how to do it." Ron, oh so cleverly, put two and two together to get six as always.

_Like what Lucius said, what Draco was yelling about, the look on his face…_

"So Dobby stopped us from getting on the train and broke your arm…"

_Snape! It would answer what he tried to warn me about!_

"You know what, Harry?"

_His family has been in Slytherin for ages. He told me so himself._

"If he doesn't stop trying to save your life he's going to kill you."

_Could Draco be the heir of Slytherin? _

**_Of course not._**

_Tom?_

_**You have a very close connection with the heir?**_

_With the heir? But how can that be? Never mind that; Tom what are you doing in my mind?_

_**Oh, actually, I'm taking my Winter Vacation up here. What a lovely bedroom you have in here.** _He retorted sarcastically. _**I was wondering what was taking you so long to get down here, princess.** _Now his voice seemed cold and penetrating, causing Ginny to shiver slightly.

_The- path. It's blocked, not by a thing, but by a person._ It had sounded so subtle and perfect in her mind. What happened?

_**Oh…** _Visions of Harry flashed through her mind and she knew that he knew all that she had seen. _**Distract the golden boy and his annoying lackeys.** _

_What?_

Tom spoke slowly like she was three years old, a smile evident in his tone no matter how he tried to hide it. **_Distract. The. Golden. Boy. _**

_How?_

There was a sigh of exasperation. **_Use your imagination._**

He kept sighing almost every moment she sat in that closet wondering what to do, as if he were fidgeting in anticipation of returning to the depths of his very own Chamber. _I don't know the password, Tom,_ she admitted warily.

_**What?** _His voice was curt and…surprised like he wasn't expecting that to happen. Ginny respectfully lowered her head and twirled a ring of hair around one finger.

_The password. I can't get in if I don't know what it is. And I… don't know what it is. What language is it in?_

Tom laughed nervously, but it was far too loud and long for it to be natural. **_You don't need to know the language! All you need to know is the word._**

_I like knowing the language, so sue me._

_**The password?** _After a long breath, he eagerly spat out: **_It's in… French._**

_French? I love French. I've taken it since I was four. Parler vous Français _

Tom stopped breathing. _**Wait. I –changed it a week ago. It's in Pig Latin now.** _

_Utbay ouyay nowkay ouyay oday otnay peaksay Igpay Atinlay. _Ginny caught his lie once more. _Tell me the truth. _

**_Fine!_** Clearly, he was now annoyed with her. Ginny shuddered, not knowing what he might do when annoyed. **_It's in regular Latin. Happy now?_** His voice was coated in dripping sarcasm.

_So, it's a spell then?_

**_No._** Tiredness crept into his words. **_Not all Latin words are spells. But it is true all spells have a root in Latin. _**

_Wait, I'm confused._

_**Just distract them.**_

Ginny felt for her bag in the dark, getting hit over the head by brooms and mops a few more times before remembering she had left it outside. Pulling her wand out of her cloak pocket, she stuck her head out of the door and grabbed her bag, pulling it into the room behind her before pointing the wand at her throat. "Sonitus vocis vicissitudo Severus Snape." When she tested the spell she had learned from one of the books Percy allowed her to borrow, Snape's low monotone came out instead of her own voice. "Potter! You, Granger, and Weasley out now!" The noise in the bathroom stopped dead and Ginny loved the feeling of power surging through her. "I said out!" When she heard scrambling behind the door, she quickly rushed back into the closet and hid.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sped out of the bathroom, leaving behind the book and potion in trust that no one would willingly enter the bathroom to see them. Ginny smiled, her wand at her throat again. "Sonitus rursus." Then she walked right into the bathroom. The book lay open, gleaming in the light on its dusty page. "The Polyjuice Potion…" She read aloud in curiosity.

All of a sudden, there was a creak of the door and Ginny turned, the book still open in her hands, to find herself face to face with Hermione. "Ginny!" she yelled, looking inquiringly around for Snape. "It was all a charm, wasn't it?" So, she knew… _What is the name of that spell again?_ "Ron is going to brutally strangle you when he finds out. You know he hates to be out of the loop, and you're his own flesh and blood." Ginny's eyes sprang open, remembering the long ago word.

"_Obliviate_!" Hermione stood before her confused. "_Stupefy_!" _Thank Merlin for Percy letting me read all of his spell books. _Her body fell to the ground by Ginny's feet. In mere anger, Ginny kicked it to the side. _Tom, I need you. _She felt Tom's eyes skim her memories and then survey what she had done.

_**Perfect.**_

_How do I get in? _A light was lit under her heart, burning and she watched it in the grimy mirror as it traveled to her throat. It was glazing her vocal cords with some strange substance and she knew she could do… something, whatever it was, that she could not have done before.

Tom was chuckling, obviously pleased, at what she didn't know. **_Just say open._**

_Open? _she asked, not believing it could actually be that easy.

_**Open.** _Ginny paused, not wanting to question Tom anymore, and looked over at the sinks. She could almost see… something. Something that had happened right there…

"Open," she hissed to the sink. And it did.

* * *

Ginny climbed down the grimy floors, not trusting that rusty pipe posing as a slide to get her down safely. Peering into the oncoming darkness, she sighed before starting on her way down again. It was a long way to the bottom. 

Finally, she felt the path even out under her feet. By now, she could remember where she was and what had happened, in dreams and reality, there. A cracking noise startled her into her own reality. Her eyes narrowed, she tried to see what she had stepped on in the dark. _Idiot. Are you a witch or not?_ she scolded herself. "_Lumos_"

With the light bathing her in warmth, she could see the white of skulls under her shoes and she let out a terrified scream. The entire floor was practically covered in skeletons of dead rats and so on. She was lucky to have even taken three steps without stepping on something… else.

Edging along the wall, she finally reached the main chamber. In the dim candlelight, the snake statues that marked the way had shadows thrown onto their faces; their eyes followed her as she walked.

Tears flirted with her eyes as she searched the room for Tom. Long ago, she had felt him leave her mind, and had not heard from him since then. Slytherin's shrine in front of her kept dripping leftover rain from the previous night down into a large puddle that had collected at his base. With the steady dripping noise being the only thing she could hear, every move she made was amplified for anyone else to hear.

Half of her desperately wanted to cry and the other half wanted to scream. But she felt that even if she did, even if she was in the middle of the Great Hall during a feast, no one would even look up. No one would listen, or care, or even notice…She couldn't shake off the funny feeling she had whenever she came into this Chamber. It made her want to do things. So, to drown out the voices starting in her head, she did both things she wanted to do: scream and cry.

Her bag was abandoned on the floor as she wiped her tears away with her dirty hands. "Tom?" she chocked out through her tears. From a random source of wind somewhere in the Chamber, her hair was ruffled, flopping in front of her eyes. "T- Tom? Where are you?" Intently, she listened, but all she heard was her echo coming back to her many times over. "Tom, please… Where are you?"

_**Really, Gin, I have no idea…** _His voice was smooth and pleasant, giving her pleasurable vibes even in the Chamber. _**Why don't you lay down the diary and come looking for me. I'm certain I'm here somewhere, princess. So, when I hear you calling for me, I'll follow and come to your voice.** _Ginny robotically moved her head to look at the leather diary in her embrace. If anything at all happened to her, she needed the diary to be right there by her side. And by the way Tom was being so pushy and fake-sweet to her, something _big_ was going to happen.

_But he used the diary_, her other side argued. _He used you through it. And he used it to get to you. He used the diary to get you to go down here last time and don't you remember how that had ended?_ It wasn't like she was hell-bent against parting with a leather binding attached with some blank pages. No. She didn't want to part with Tom as she wished he still were. And by keeping the diary near her, she could pretend she had never really met him. _Okay, _finally she relented, placing the book open at the feet of Salazar Slytherin.

"Tom! Can you hear me? Tom… Tom!" she began to call. If Ginny had been paying attention as she wandered aimlessly into a side corridor, she would have noticed her hand beginning to glow. "Hear my voice and come to me, Tom!" she willed, her eyes closed to give more energy to trying to hear him. If she had seen the way her hand was glowing, the curious Weasley nature would have compelled her to look back and see her diary glowing as well; but this time, her eyes remained closed and she remained blissfully ignorant.

Suddenly, she felt very, very drained and had a pain gnawing at her stomach. It was an odd, new feeling; it was like someone was pulling out all of her powers. In fear, she slipped on the back of her robes as she turned and ran back to her diary. It was still glowing, but with only a small shriek, Ginny slammed the diary shut and clenched it to her chest. At once, she felt the familiar tug on her navel before she stopped. Was it a Portkey? No, it wasn't. She was in the exact same place, as before, only, it felt different. That was the only word she could describe it with. Different…

The diary still clutched to her, she fell to the floor in shock. It took all of her energy to just lift her head. Her hand was still radiating a small, opaque purple haze, but besides feeling uneasy, she felt no difference and noticed calmly that the glow was fading. The feeling in her stomach had stopped when she grabbed the diary, but the feeling of something wrong lingered. Footsteps came closer behind her. Ginny yelped in an entwined emotion of fright and surprise.

Although it should have been obvious who was there, she still edged away from the center of the chamber to where she was nearly hugging the statue. The footsteps got louder, but no one entered her sight. They stopped suddenly. Ginny had grown tense with the anticipation, but for what seemed like an eternity, no one came. She was just about to try to gather her strength to get up, but then…

"What's the matter, love?" Tom took a noisy bite out of a green apple as he looked at her lying beside his feet on the floor. Ginny had a sinking feeling he had been watching her for a while. He sighed, and lowered the apple down to where he marveled at it. "You know what? I know I'm eating this apple. I can see it, I can smell it, and I can feel myself chewing it… but I know it's not real. The only reason I can taste it, is the spell is sending signals to my mind telling me it's succulent and juicy. But it's not real." There was a long period of silence after this where Ginny looked at Tom, not as a monster or her Tom, but as a poor teenager. Right as she was about to question what he meant, he asked her a question. "Want some? It's delicious."

_What is that story with that stupid woman who took that apple from the snake because he persuaded her to do it? _"It's absolutely scrumptious, princess… Or, so I've been told. It's been a long time since I've really had an apple. You'd be surprised at what you miss when you can't have it anymore…"

"I'm sorry," she whispered in that tone she had heard Ron use only so much when he talked to her mum about things he didn't really mean. Sarcasm was what he called it… "I'm sorry; I don't accept apples from snakes." He took another bite, making noises like he was enjoying it so much, although the entire time, he had a longing look in his eyes as he looked at the apple.

With a last bite, he tossed the barely touched apple into a large puddle where it bobbed, struggling to stay afloat for a minute, before sinking slowly to the bottom. "So, what's the big emergency you wanted to discuss about with me?" Tom asked while licking his fingers free of the stray juice. "You seem stressed." His hands had found her arm and he was stroking her shoulder gently, trying to calm her, but in truth, he was just worsening the situation. It only made Ginny widen her eyes and struggle to stand so she could get away.

"You can't touch me, Tom. You're only a memory. You go right through me…" His chuckle scared her senseless, but he forced her back down to the ground with his grip on her arm.

"Gin… even memories can be resurrected. It just has to be _willed_." _Oh, Merlin. I brought him back…_ "So, come on, Gin." He pulled her up backwards to stand next to him. She only took one step away before his hand gripped her arm tightly. She wobbled for a moment with the extra weight he was exerting on her. Unsure about her own two feet, she tried to force herself to remain standing, but she just toppled over, his hands there or not. Bringing her arms up to shield her face, Ginny braced herself for the cold, stone floor. But it never came… She opened her eyes to see Tom holding her with a worried look. Noticing she was watching him, he coughed, straightening his face behind his hands. "Hello, princess."

"Tom, put me down…"

"No. Gin… you're weak," he said, mocking her desperate plea. "Off to bed with you, young lady." Skeptically, Ginny turned away to hide her fearful eyes. "Besides, I do have to talk to you." Brown eyes narrowed at him. Why was he being so considerate to her needs and so… nice?

Clutching her body closer to him, Tom stepped over the open diary on the floor and proceeded to carry Ginny like a newlywed bride into the bedroom. Shifting uneasily under his gaze, she dug into the pocket of her robe for the thing she needed to talk to him about. "Tom…" Even though her voice was a bare whisper, he still heard her. Looking at her oddly, he set her down onto the bed. "Tom, I got a letter… from my father, this morning. I was surprised because, you know how I stopped mailing everybody every single morning quite some time ago, but this is the first note I have ever gotten in response." Holding out her hand, Ginny waited breathlessly as Tom reached out and took the note.

_Dearest Ginny,_

_I am most sorry I haven't owled you sooner, but your mother and I had some… trouble with the car. You understand, don't you? Well, we have been trying to speak to you for some time now. I hope your first year is going well. How are your brothers treating you? Oh, it's time for my meeting, but I'll owl you later on to see how you're feeling._

_Love you to the moon and stars,_

_Daddy_

Tom looked up from the letter, a little irritated it seemed, but also somewhat confused. "So?" he sneered. Ginny took a deep breath. Grasping the note firmly in her hand again, she crumpled it into a tiny ball before placing it back in her pocket.

"Don't you see? You told me…" Ginny found she couldn't find the words to speak. Tom barely raised his eyebrows at her as she stammered. "Well, for weeks now, every time I mention one of my brothers or my parents, I get the worst feeling. It's like someone is putting thoughts in my head. Eerily, it happens every time. The thoughts tell me that they all hate me. That they always have and always will... For the longest time, they didn't care about me and I saw the truth in these thoughts. I though I was just growing up. But it's not true. I guess they were just too busy with their friends to think about their baby sister." A quiver was evident in her voice.

Tom shushed her, his eyes wide but he didn't let her see that. "No, do not hush me." Ginny pushed his hand away. "Now that I look over everything that has happened, they weren't ignoring me. They barely left me alone. They always protected me against any danger I faced. Until you came along. And even then, I only magnified the bad so I could never look the good in the face. Why do I always think they hate me, Tom? How could things have changed so much since I met you?"

"You're imagining things, Gin. Your brothers have always estranged you. But you know as well as I that you're only making up an explanation to all of this. Until you came to Hogwarts, you had the gift of seeing your brothers as your saviors. But now you're here, and you've lost that gift. You can't blame me for losing that gift. They have other friends. You are not one of them. You are still their sister. They can barely stand you in the summertime when you annoy them incessantly, and now they can't get rid of you even at Hogwarts! You told me yourself that they despise you sometimes." His tone was mocking, yet… he was laughing almost.

"They do care for me!"

"I never said otherwise! I just quoted your own words." Ginny shook her head, flinging her hair from side to side. Sighing, Tom pushed her by the shoulders down onto the mattress. "Why don't you just go to sleep? I have other matters to attend to."

"But I'm not tired. It's not even 6:30! Why should I-" His hands pushed her down again. Her own wand betrayed her as it was pointed to her forehead.

"_Quiesco_."

* * *

Tom paced around. A flash of red and green light, and then there was another body in the room. "Riddle? Why have you brought me here?" the new voice demanded to know. Tom snarled. 

"I would've gotten you here sooner but your pitiful servant wouldn't allow me to kidnap you." The new person laughed roughly at this, sending shivers of –was it fear he was feeling? - down his back. "What the hell do you think you are doing? I told you I'd get her and then I find out that the one time I can actually obtain power from her, I'm not even in my body! Just because you set all of this up does not mean you can steal her powers and strength before me!"

"Calm down, Riddle. What a typical teenager you're acting like…" At this, Tom seethed in anger. "I had my doubts about you. I can see into your mind just like you can with that brat you have under your control. With some of the thoughts you've been feeling, I wondered if I could trust you to finish off our noble work. You cannot hesitate to kill this girl!

"You think I don't know that?" Tom clenched his fingers into his palm, calming himself before getting even angrier. "You don't have to worry about me. I never let myself get attached to anything. This girl- this spoiled little brat- is no different."

"I think you're bluffing," the voice bluntly said what was obvious to him. Freezing, Tom bit his lip to keep himself from smacking this… this… vile, loathsome, evil waste of human space!

"I can assure you, at no time have I ever relented. I can kill this brat as easily as I can kiss her." Immediately after this, Tom mentally smacked himself for his choice of words.

"_Kiss her_? Please, my dear, dear boy… Tell me you've not gotten soft on me!"

"No! Tell me to do anything, and I'll do it. I await… your orders…" Although Tom hated being anyone's servant boy, he knew that this was far beyond his control.

"Kill the girl."

With a deep sigh, Tom bowed to the darkest wizard to ever roam the Earth as he backed away. Trying his best to keep the sneer out of his voice, he answered, "Yes Master."

* * *

Translations:

Do you speak French?

But you know you do not speak Pig Latin

Noise voice change Severus Snape

Noise reversed

Sleep

* * *

Sorry I didn't update sooner. So many things were happening. You guys know how I was grounded, but my parents took me on Spring Break, then I sent this chapter to my beta, but she couldn't finish betaing it because I had too mnay problems. Then I had my birthday and thenI got this back. So if it weren't for the site not letting me update, this would have been up here yesterday. 

Disclaimer: I sort of stole these quotes. The whole thing with Ginny not knowing you could do THAT with a broomstick is from Cassandra Claire's fic Draco Dormiens.  
Also the quote about the apple being succulent but he could only taste it because of a spell was half-taken from The Matrix. I was typing it, and I remembered the quote and thought it went so well with whatI was trying to say.

Again, I'm sorry, but I will try my best to stay on my schedule or be even faster typing up the next chapter.

Love from,

Emma

P.S. The reviewers from my authors note were: Vanessa Nicole Sisseck, Riddled-Slytherin, Strawberry-Heavens, Enialb Reprac (who by the way, I don't know who you are unless you are one of my friends, so next time, if I do know you, tell me who you are), and lilBlondi. You guys get a spoiler. In your next review, tell me whether you'd like a spoiler from the eigth chapter or from a chapter way off in the future.


	8. Sorry for this quick note

Hey, this is a note because, well, it seems every other thing I post on this fic is a note. I just wanted to tell you that I do love this story, and of course I love all of my reviewers, but there is a problem… See, I am suffering from every writer's worst fear: Writer's Block. And in my original Stained with Ink, by now I would have had like eleven chapters posted with four more already written out with the ending chapters outlined. But as you who have been faithful since I first posted my fic, not this revision, can see, a lot has changed.

It's like there are two lines. In the beginning, both lines go in the same general direction, occasionally one going off the path, but always coming back. Now the second line is veering in an opposite direction and I can't stop it. So now, half my already written storyline makes no sense with what I have for these chapters. I need to spend some time gathering my thoughts about this particular fic and all of its chapters before I continue.

As of now, there will be one more chapter posted before Stained with Ink goes on a temporary hiatus.

Don't worry, I'll be back before you can miss me, and you all have a new fic to look forward to. I have a beta and today I have sent her the prologue to my new fic Morning of the Dragon. I hope you all will read it and won't be too mad at me for forsaking my baby like this. I'll come back, I promise.

This story is too good and I have spent too long of my life on it to leave.

And to my reviewers from my authors note, remember when you review to say when you want your spoiler to be from, as in a near chapter like eight or nine, or sometime near the end. And just so you know, I have had so many complaints about the characters acting and thinking things far too mature for their age. I know this, but for some reason can't fix it.

My mind is too mature to go back to thinking like an eleven year old. But if you wanted to know, Hermione is thirteen in JK's Chamber of Secrets, as in mine, and she is the oldest in the trio, her birthday being September 19th. Draco Malfoy turned thirteen onMay 22nd of his second year. Ron's thirteenth birthday is in March. You should all know Harry's. And Ginny's Twelfth birthday is on August 11th. And all of those birthdays were said by JK herself to be their birthdays, with the exception of Draco Malfoy. But he turns seventeen after the first apparation test, so I made up a date.

If you want to ask me a question about anything, you can review with your email address or IM me on WickedElphaba177, Dracolover1717, or EponineAngel17.

Emma Riddle


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